NASA spent $1bn to deliver soil samples from asteroid Bennu - capsule successfully arrives on Earth after 7 years

NASA has successfully delivered to Earth soil samples from the asteroid Bennu. This is the first such mission in the history of the United States.

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The space agency invested $1bn in the project. The mission was named Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx). It began in 2016, when a Falcon 9 rocket sent an automated station into space.

The OSIRIS-REx probe reached the surface of the potentially dangerous asteroid Bennu in mid-autumn 2020. The spacecraft managed to collect about 250g of soil. NASA plans to share the samples with scientists from around the world.

The capsule landed on the territory of the Pentagon test site in Utah. Approximately 10 minutes elapsed between separation from the OSIRIS-REx station and landing. The capsule was equipped with two parachutes, which reduced its speed from hypersonic (over 6174 km/h) to 18 km/h.

NASA has no plans to get rid of OSIRIS-REx. The next target of the space probe will be the asteroid Apophis. If all goes according to plan, the automatic station will reach it in 2029. The study will last for 18 months.

Source: NASA, Lockheed Martin