OSIRIS-REx Completes Final Test Before Asteroid Sample Delivery

A team led by NASA in Utah's West Desert has completed the last major test of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft ahead of its delivery of an asteroid sample to Earth in September.

A training model of the sample return capsule is seen is seen during a drop test in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and will return to Earth on September 24th, landing under parachute at the Utah Test and Training Range. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

The test involved dropping a mockup of the sample capsule from an aircraft to simulate its actual landing in the Utah desert. The capsule successfully landed on target, validating the spacecraft's systems and procedures for sample recovery.

"This successful test is a major milestone for the OSIRIS-REx mission," said NASA's Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate. "We are now just weeks away from receiving a piece of solar system history, and this test ensures we are ready to safely recover the sample."

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft visited the asteroid Bennu in 2020 and collected a sample of its surface material. The sample capsule will return to Earth on September 24, where it will be recovered by a team of scientists and engineers.

The sample is expected to provide scientists with valuable insights into the formation of our solar system and the origins of life. It is the first asteroid sample to be returned to Earth by a U.S. spacecraft.

"This is a truly historic moment for NASA and for science," said Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission. "The sample from Bennu will allow us to study the building blocks of our solar system and learn more about how life may have originated on Earth."

The OSIRIS-REx mission is a major step forward in NASA's exploration of asteroids. The agency is also planning to send a spacecraft to collect a sample from the asteroid Psyche, which is thought to be the core of a planet that broke apart early in the history of our solar system.

The successful completion of the OSIRIS-REx sample return test is a major milestone for NASA and for the future of asteroid exploration. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the OSIRIS-REx team, and it paves the way for future missions to collect samples from asteroids and other celestial bodies.