My name in space: OSIRIS-REx
Mission: OSIRIS-REx
Target: asteroid 101955 Bennu
Current position: in space, asteroid 101955 Bennu (location live here)
Operator: NASA
Launch: September 8, 2016, 23:05 UTC
Asteroid orbit insertion: expected on 03 December 2018
Landing location after sample return mission: Utah Test and Training Range, Earth
Planned landing after return: 24 September 2023, 15:00 UTC
COSPAR ID: 2016-055A
The OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA asteroid study and sample-return mission. Its mission is to study asteroid 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous asteroid, and return a sample to Earth on 24 September 2023 for detailed analysis. The material returned is expected to enable scientists to learn more about the formation and evolution of the Solar System, its initial stages of planet formation, and the source of organic compounds that led to the formation of life on Earth.
After traveling for approximately two years, the spacecraft is to rendezvous with asteroid 101955 Bennu in August 2018 and begin 505 days of surface mapping at a distance of approximately 5 km (3.1 mi). Following collection of material (from 60 grams to two kilograms) in July 2020, the sample will be returned to Earth in a 46-kilogram (101 lb) capsule. The return trip to Earth will be shorter, and will land in September 2023.
