Our First Asteroid Sample Return Mission is Back on Earth on This Week

After a seven-year journey, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned to Earth on September 24, 2023, with samples from the asteroid Bennu. This is the first time that the United States has returned samples from an asteroid, and it is a major milestone in space exploration.

The samples from Bennu will be studied by scientists around the world to learn more about the formation and evolution of our solar system. They could also provide insights into the origin of life on Earth.