OSIRIS-REx

Mission overview

OSIRIS-REx collected a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and returned it to Earth in 2023.

Outcome & discoveries

Delivered the largest asteroid sample yet returned, rich in carbon and water-bearing minerals.

• ★Largest returned asteroid sample, containing carbon and hydrated minerals

Mission profile

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

Related missions

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.