Latest News
The OSIRIS-REx Sample Canister Lid is Removed
September 27, 2023 -NASA scientists found black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx science canister when the initial lid was removed today. The canister from the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule was delivered to NASA’s Johnson Space...
OSIRIS-REx Sample Capsule Released for Landing on Earth
September 24, 2023 -Doppler data indicates that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft released its sample capsule toward Earth at 6:42 a.m. EDT (4:42 a.m. MDT), as planned, from 63,000 miles of Earth’s surface – about one-third the distance from Earth to the...
OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Departs for New Mission
September 24, 2023 -NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft completed its final task for this mission when it released its sample capsule toward Earth on September 24, 2023. About 20 minutes after doing so, the spacecraft fired its engines to divert past Earth...
OSIRIS-REx team completes final test before asteroid sample delivery
September 6, 2023 -Members of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample recovery team gathered in Utah's West Desert this week to participate in final preparations for the arrival of the first U.S.-collected asteroid sample, slated to land on Earth later this...
Final Rehearsal Prepares Mission Team for Sept. 24 Bennu Sample Retrieval
September 5, 2023 -Though there are only a few weeks left until the mission’s seven-year journey comes to its climactic end, the mood of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx team is calm. After months of rehearsals, it was clear during the final dress rehearsal this...
NASA Invites Media to View Asteroid Sample Recovery Rehearsal
June 8, 2023 -Editor's note: This media advisory was updated Wednesday, June 7, 2023, to correctly reflect the times and dates of the events. NASA invites media to attend the first major asteroid sample recovery rehearsal for its OSIRIS-REx...
NASA Prepares for Historic Asteroid Sample Delivery on Sept. 24
March 24, 2023 -NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is cruising back to Earth with a sample it collected from the rocky surface of asteroid Bennu. When its sample capsule parachutes down into the Utah desert on Sept. 24, OSIRIS-REx will become the United...
First NASA Asteroid Sample Return Mission on Track for Fall ’23 Delivery
October 17, 2022 -NASA's first asteroid sample return spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx, fired its thrusters for 30 seconds on Sept. 21 and nudged its trajectory toward Earth. The resulting course correction keeps the vehicle on track to deliver a sample of asteroid...
Some Asteroids ‘Aged Early’ by Sun, NASA Finds
July 25, 2022 -Scientists from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission recently learned that surface regeneration happens a lot quicker on asteroids than on Earth. By analyzing rock fractures on asteroid Bennu from high-resolution images taken by the...
NASA Reveals Surface of Asteroid Bennu is Like Plastic Ball Pit
July 8, 2022 -After analyzing data gathered when NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, scientists have learned something astonishing: The spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu had it not fired...