Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer

OSIRIS-REx launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sept. 8, 2016. It arrived at Bennu on Dec. 3, 2018, and began orbiting the asteroid Bennu for the first time on Dec. 31, 2018. On October 20, 2020, OSIRIS-REx made history for NASA when it tagged the surface of asteroid Bennu for 4.7 seconds, triggering a flush of nitrogen gas and collecting the largest sample of extraterrestrial material since the Apollo moon landings. In preparation for the sample collection, the spacecraft had spent two years photographing and mapping the asteroid in tremendous detail. The spacecraft successfully dropped its sample return capsule to return to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. 

The OSIRIS-REx mission seeks answers to questions that are central to the human experience: Where did we come from? What is our destiny? OSIRIS-REx is going to Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid that records the earliest history of our Solar System, and bringing a piece of it back to Earth. Bennu may contain the molecular precursors to the origin of life and the Earth’s oceans. Bennu is also one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids. It has a relatively high probability of impacting the Earth late in the 22nd century. OSIRIS-REx will determine Bennu’s physical and chemical properties. This will be critical for future scientists to know when developing an impact mitigation mission. Finally, asteroids like Bennu contain natural resources such as water, organics, and precious metals. Future space exploration and economic development will rely on asteroids for these precious materials. Asteroids may one day fuel the exploration of the Solar System by robotic and manned spacecraft.