OSIRISREx

OSIRISREx is a NASA robotic spacecraft designed to study the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and return a pristine sample to Earth. The acronym stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer. It was a mission under NASA’s New Frontiers program, launched on September 8, 2016. The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Space and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with mission operations conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid roughly 500 meters in diameter. OSIRISREx conducted extensive reconnaissance to map Bennu’s shape, topography, rotation, and surface properties, aiming to identify a safe and scientifically valuable sampling site. After nearly two years of mapping, the Nightingale site was selected as the primary sample location.

On October 20, 2020, OSIRISREx performed a touch-and-go sample collection using the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) system, briefly contacting Bennu to ingest surface material. The operation was designed to collect at least 60 grams. The gathered material was stored in the spacecraft’s Sample Return Capsule for eventual delivery to Earth.

OSIRISREx departed Bennu in 2021 and delivered the sample capsule to Earth on September 24, 2023, at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The samples are being curated and distributed to researchers for analysis, with initial findings highlighting preserved primitive materials from the early Solar System.

The mission has advanced understanding of Bennu’s composition, the prevalence of carbon-rich materials, and the potential for asteroid resource identification. It demonstrated reusable sampling technology for future missions and remains a reference point for studies of asteroid geology, orbital dynamics, and the Yarkovsky effect.