NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid and return it to Earth. Launched on September 8, 2016, the spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018 and collected a sample from its surface on October 20, 2020. The mission aims to deliver the largest asteroid sample ever received on Earth, estimated to hold about half a pound of Bennu’s material or 8.8 ounces +/- 3.6 ounces (250 grams +/- 101 grams).
Read More OSIRIS-REx: A Journey to Asteroid Bennu and Back