OSIRIS-REx : A asteroid sample return space mission

Launched in 2016, OSIRIS-REx reached Bennu in 2018, spent two years studying it, collected a sample in 2020, and returned to Earth in 2023. This complex mission helped test space exploration techniques for future missions.

The spacecraft used a robotic arm called TAGSAM to briefly touch Bennu’s surface and collect rock and dust. This "touch-and-go" method was a first-of-its-kind success in NASA’s history.

The sample from Bennu is being studied to uncover secrets about the formation of the solar system. It may help answer questions about how water and organic molecules reached Earth billions of years ago.

After dropping off Bennu’s sample, the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS-APEX and is now heading toward another asteroid, Apophis, which will pass close to Earth in 2029. This mission continues NASA’s asteroid exploration journey.