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NASA's Osiris-Rex headed back to Earth with asteroid rocks and dust

Osiris-Rex is returning to Earth with the largest space souvenir from a NASA mission since Apollo astronauts brought moon rocks home.

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Headshot of Eric Mack
Eric Mack Contributing Editor
Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
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Eric Mack
2 min read
osirisrexbeauty

It came, it surveyed, it swiped.

 NASA

After a few years hanging out with potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu (and even chest-bumping it), NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft said goodbye Monday and started its return to Earth.

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer is the agency's first spacecraft to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey its surface and swipe a sample to bring back home for scientists to study.

On Monday, at 1:23 p.m. PT, it began the final phase of a long journey that started with its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 8, 2016.

With the firing of its thrusters for seven minutes Monday afternoon, Osiris-Rex moves away from its orbit around Bennu to set a new course for Earth. More precisely, it aims to return the 2.1 ounce (60 grams) sample it collected from Bennu for an airdrop at the Utah Test and Training Range on Sept. 24, 2023.

Osiris-Rex follows in the cosmic footsteps of Japan's Hayabusa2 craft, which recently returned a sample of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth.

The path back to our planet for Osiris-Rex is not a straight line. To get home and enter an orbit around Earth in preparation for the sample return capsule to enter the atmosphere, the spacecraft will wind up circling the sun twice and travel 1.4 billion miles (2.3 billion kilometers).

Watch this: NASA successfully lands Osiris-Rex spacecraft on an asteroid in deep space

The sample now being transported from deep space to the Utah desert is the largest space souvenir collected by a NASA mission since Apollo astronauts brought moon rocks home for study.

Only a small portion of the sample will be used in research right away. Bits will be sent to labs worldwide, but 75% will set aside to be studied by future scientists using fancy new technologies that don't even exist yet. Start developing your research plans now, kids!

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