First Asteroid Sample Return

Sample Return Capsule just landed, Sept 24, 2023 Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber

The first-ever mission to retrieve a sample of an asteroid has successfully returned! The long awaited day has arrived, after years of planning, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is complete.

“The returned samples collected from Bennu will help scientists worldwide make discoveries to better understand planet formation and the origin of organics and water that led to life on Earth, as well as benefit all of humanity by learning more about potentially hazardous asteroids.” -NASA OSIRIS-REx team