NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Returns Samples From the Bennu Asteroid This Week
The return of these samples is eagerly awaited by the scientific community, as they promise critical insights into the early solar system's formation and the origins of life. These findings could also enhance our understanding of potential asteroid threats to Earth.
In a momentous event set for September 24, 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will culminate its seven-year journey by bringing back samples from the asteroid Bennu. Launched in 2016, this groundbreaking mission successfully reached Bennu in October 2020, where it collected samples from the near-Earth asteroid's surface.
The return of these samples is eagerly awaited by the scientific community, as they promise critical insights into the early solar system's formation and the origins of life. Moreover, these findings could enhance our understanding of potential asteroid threats to Earth.
The capsule carrying these invaluable samples is slated to land at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range near Dugway, Utah, at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on September 24. The OSIRIS-REx mission represents a remarkable achievement in space exploration and is a testament to NASA's ongoing efforts to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos.