NASA Asteroid Recovery Mission Readying for Takeoff

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — NASA typically shoots for the stars on its out-of-the-world missions, but that won’t exactly be the case in September. When the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft takes off from Cape Canaveral, it will aim for the asteroid Bennu.

The upcoming mission is a first for NASA. The intent is to send OSIRIS-REx to the asteroid to recover samples and bring them back to Earth for study. It is hoped the venture will help advance scientific understanding of how planets form and how life began. In addition, information may also help improve scientists’ understanding of asteroids that could impact our planet, NASA said in a statement.

“This mission exemplifies our nation’s quest to boldly go and study our solar system and beyond to better understand the universe and our place in it,” said Geoff Yoder, acting associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

The liftoff is scheduled to take place at 7:05 p.m. EST on Thursday, Sept. 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Since weather and other concerns could delay the launch, NASA has set a 34-day launch period.

When the 4,650-pound OSIRIS-REx does go up, it will be placed onboard an Atlas V rocket, NASA said. NASA plans for the craft to reach Bennu sometime in 2018. Once there, OSIRIS-REx will survey the asteroid before collecting between 2 and 70 ounces of surface material with its robotic arm, NASA said.

Armchair space explorers shouldn’t look for any answers from the mission right away. NASA said the samples aren’t scheduled to return to Earth via the craft’s detachable capsule until 2023.

"The launch of OSIRIS-REx is the beginning a seven-year journey to return pristine samples from asteroid Bennu," said OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona. "The team has built an amazing spacecraft, and we are well-equipped to investigate Bennu and return with our scientific treasure."

To find out more about the mission and OSIRIS-REx, visit NASA online.

Artist’s rendering of OSIRIS at Bennu courtesy of NASA