OSIRIS-REx: NASA's First Asteroid Sample Return Mission Delivers Material To Earth

OSIRIS-REx brought asteroid material weighing about 250 grams to the Earth. The sample return capsule landed in the Utah western desert on September 24, at 8:25 pm IST.

OSIRIS-REx, NASA's first asteroid sample delivery mission, is set to return pristine material from asteroid Bennu on September 24, 2023. It is important to study these materials because they might provide insights into what the universe was 4.5 billion years ago.  ( Image Source :NASA/Keegan Barber )

OSIRIS-REx, NASA's first asteroid sample delivery mission, returned pristine material from asteroid Bennu on September 24, 2023. Bennu was earlier known as 1999 RQ36. OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security — Regolith Explorer. After OSIRIS-REx entered the Earth's atmosphere, it released the sample return capsule which made a landing in the Utah desert.  OSIRIS-REx was launched on September 8, 2016, and reached Bennu in December