Small-body mission · NASA / University of Arizona / Lockheed Martin

OSIRIS-REx

NASA's first asteroid sample-return mission — it orbited the carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid Bennu, mapped it in detail, and used a touch-and-go manoeuvre to grab a large sample, returning 121.6 grams to Earth in 2023. The spacecraft continued on as OSIRIS-APEX to study the asteroid Apophis.

Extended missionSample-Return Mission Rendezvous Mission Orbiter Mission

This is the small-body-missions view of OSIRIS-REx. See its main mission page for the full profile.

Targets & sample

Target bodies:101955 Bennu

Returned sample:Bennu Sample (OSIRIS-REx)

Mission & science

Goals: Return a pristine sample of a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid and characterise its orbit, including the Yarkovsky effect.
Engineering milestones: Set records for the smallest body orbited; performed the TAG (Touch-and-Go) sample collection in 2020.
Science discoveries: Bennu is a rubble pile that ejects particles; its samples are rich in carbon and water-bearing clays.
Sample return: 121.6 g, recovered at the Utah Test and Training Range in September 2023.
Outcome: Success; continued as OSIRIS-APEX toward Apophis.

Knowledge connections

Operated byNASA
Part of programNew Frontiers program
Launched byAtlas V
Launched fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station
Mission target101955 Bennu
Visited101955 Bennu
Returned samples from101955 Bennu
Member of groupSample-Return Mission
Member of groupRendezvous Mission
Member of groupOrbiter Mission
Orbited101955 Bennu
Collected sampleBennu Sample (OSIRIS-REx)
Mission includesOSIRIS-REx Sample-Return Capsule
Associated withApproach & Characterization
Tracked byDeep Space Network (DSN)
Carries instrumentOCAMS (OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite)
Associated withOSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 Sample Asteroids

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

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OSIRIS-REx

Mission & science

Goals

Return a pristine sample of a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid and characterise its orbit, including the Yarkovsky effect.

Engineering milestones

Set records for the smallest body orbited; performed the TAG (Touch-and-Go) sample collection in 2020.

Science discoveries

Bennu is a rubble pile that ejects particles; its samples are rich in carbon and water-bearing clays.

Sample return

121.6 g, recovered at the Utah Test and Training Range in September 2023.

Outcome

Success; continued as OSIRIS-APEX toward Apophis.

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics

Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.