NASA successfully obtain samples from the asteroid Bennu

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is a sample return mission from the asteroid Bennu. This asteroid is a Near-Earth object (NEO) and considered as a life-threatening asteroid. Samples will give scientists information about the composition of similar objects and the formation and the evolution of our solar system. OSIRIS-REx was launched on 8 September 2016 and reached the asteroid on 3 December 2018. Since then, many maneuvers were accomplished to map and study its structure. On 20 October 2020, in a touch-and-go operation, OSIRIS-REx successfully obtained samples from the regolithic surface. The spacecraft is expected to reach Earth on 24 September 2023 bringing valuables pieces from a very old object in our solar system.

Touch-and-go operation to obtain samples from the regolithic surface of Bennu