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OSIRIS-REx

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

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An artistic visualization of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft hovering above the surface of Asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft is silver, shiny with two wings on the top and a long extension from the bottom.

OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid. It returned to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, to drop off a capsule with material from asteroid Bennu. After dropping off the sample through Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS-APEX and sent on a new mission to explore asteroid Apophis in 2029.

Mission Type

Sample Return

Destination

Asteroid Bennu

sample DELIVERED

Sept. 24, 2023

Objective

Collect asteroid sample and deliver it to Earth

Overview

Launched on Sept. 8, 2016, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, spacecraft traveled to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36). It collected a sample of rocks and dust from Bennu's surface on October 20, 2020.

The spacecraft delivered the sample to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023 when it released a capsule with grains of Bennu over Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule parachuted to the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range, where the OSIRIS-REx team was waiting to retrieve it.

Scientists hope the Bennu sample will reveal whether asteroids that collided with Earth billions of years ago thereby delivered water and other ingredients for life to our planet.

OSIRIS-REx Sample Landing

11 Images

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Aerial view of the sample return capsule on the desert ground with an orange-and-white parachute attached.⁣

A woman wearing a blue jacket and black pants examines the capsule.⁣

Black, top-shaped sample return capsule sits on the desert ground with flags surrounding it.

Three men look at the capsule, one is kneeling, two are standing. ⁣

Black, top-shaped sample return capsule sits on the desert ground.⁣

Three men prepare the sample for transport by helicopter in the desert.⁣

The sample capsule is suspended the helicopter by long line against a bright blue sky and the desert below. A woman looks up at the capsule as it departs.⁣

From behind, we see two people fly a helicopter. One lifts his arm, showing an American flag patch and OSIRIS-REx mission patch

Three people in white cleanroom suits work on the capsule, one person in a white cleanroom suit takes photos

Several people transport the capsule into a temporary cleanroom on a cart

Go To Gallery

To view more images from the Sept. 24, 2023, asteroid sample arrival in Utah,
visit NASA's OSIRIS-REx Flickr gallery.

OSIRIS-REx News

All OSIRIS-REx news

Article

6 min read

Surprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample

Image Article

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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Etched into Collier Trophy, Aerospace History

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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Earns Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award

Article3 months ago

3 min read

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Awarded Collier Trophy

Article3 months ago

3 min read

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Awarded Robert Goddard Memorial Trophy

Article3 months ago

OSIRIS-REx Blog

Visit the OSIRIS-REx Blog

Person in cleanroom suit attached a tool to the TAGSAM from outside of the protective barrier

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample

Curation team members at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have successfully removed the two fasteners from the sampler head that had prevented the remainder of OSIRIS-REx’s asteroid Bennu sample material from being accessed.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Achieves Sample Mass Milestone

The curation team processing NASA’s asteroid Bennu sample has removed and collected 2.48 ounces (70.3 grams) of rocks and dust from the sampler hardware – surpassing the agency’s goal of bringing at least 60 grams to Earth.

A silver capsule is opened inside a glovebox surrounded by technicians gowned in blue protective suits

Initial Curation of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Sample

The initial curation process for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample of asteroid Bennu is moving slower than anticipated, but for the best reason: the sample runneth over.

Explore OSIRIS-APEX

OSIRIS-APEX, a follow-on to OSIRIS-REx, will study the physical changes to asteroid Apophis after the asteroid’s rare close encounter with Earth in 2029.

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