Historic mission: NASA brings first intact asteroid sample to Earth

NASA announced that the first asteroid sample the agency collected in space will reach Earth by the end of the week. The space agency will also broadcast a live broadcast of the return to Earth of the OSIRIS-REx capsule (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer), which is a mission to collect samples from the surface of an asteroid. OSIRIS-REx and NASA managed to collect samples from asteroid Bennu in 2020.

The historic mission is coming to an end

OSIRIS-REx, launched on September 8, 2016, managed to sample the surface of asteroid Bennu on October 20, 2020. Since then, the capsule has continued its journey back to Earth and is expected to land at the US Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range on September 24, 2023 at 17:00 ET. NASA explains that in order for this precision landing to be achieved, spacecraft operators must ensure that OSIRIS-REx enters the planet’s atmosphere at a certain angle and speed.

According to a statement made by NASA, this mission will help scientists investigate how planets form and how life begins, and will improve our understanding of asteroids that may hit Earth.

Bennu, which has a dark surface and is classified as a B-type asteroid, a subtype of carbonaceous C-type asteroids, was chosen as the target of the study because it is a “time capsule” from the birth of the Solar System. Such asteroids are considered “primitive” because they have undergone little geological change since the time of their formation. The cost of the OSIRIS-REx mission is stated to be approximately $800 million, excluding the Atlas V launch vehicle, which is approximately $183.5 million.