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Mission record

OSIRIS-REx

Also known as Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer, OSIRIS-APEX

NASA · Launched

Explore trajectory

Active · Active

NASA's first mission to collect a sample from an asteroid and return it to Earth. Launched 8 September 2016 on an Atlas V 411, OSIRIS-REx arrived at near-Earth asteroid Bennu on 3 December 2018, entered orbit on 31 December 2018, collected regolith at the Nightingale site during a Touch-And-Go event on 20 October 2020, departed Bennu on 10 May 2021, and delivered its sample return capsule to the Utah Test and Training Range on 24 September 2023. The capsule held 121.6 grams of Bennu material. The spacecraft itself did not land; it was renamed OSIRIS-APEX and redirected to asteroid Apophis.

Destinations
Bennu
Launch vehicle
Atlas V 411 (AV-067)
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Countries
United States
Mission types
Sample return, Orbiter

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Launch from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V 411

    OSIRIS-REx lifted off at 7:05 p.m. EDT (23:05 UT) on 8 September 2016 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

    Earth

  2. Gravity assist

    Earth gravity assist

    Closest approach at 12:52 p.m. EDT (16:52 UTC) on 22 September 2017, within 10,711 miles (17,237 km) of Antarctica just south of Cape Horn, Chile. The flyby changed the spacecraft's velocity by 3.778 km/s and bent its trajectory to match Bennu's six-degree orbital tilt.

    Earth

  3. Milestone

    Arrival at asteroid Bennu

    After a 1.2 billion-mile (2 billion-kilometer) journey the spacecraft executed a maneuver that transitioned it from flying toward Bennu to operating around the asteroid.

    Bennu

  4. Orbit insertion

    Orbit insertion around Bennu

    OSIRIS-REx completed its Preliminary Survey of Bennu and entered orbit, making Bennu (about 492 m across) the smallest world ever orbited by a spacecraft.

    Bennu

  5. Sample collection

    Touch-And-Go sample collection at the Nightingale site

    The spacecraft descended for about four hours, executed a Checkpoint burn at roughly 125 m altitude, and touched Bennu with its TAGSAM sampling head for approximately 6 seconds within three feet of the targeted point at sample site Nightingale, firing a burst of nitrogen gas to lift regolith into the collection head before backing away. Confirmation of touchdown reached Earth at 6:08 p.m. EDT.

    Bennu

  6. Milestone

    Final flyover of Bennu

    OSIRIS-REx completed its last flyover of Bennu around 6 a.m. EDT (4 a.m. MDT) on 7 April 2021, imaging the surface disturbance left by the sampling event.

    Bennu

  7. Departure

    Departure from Bennu for the cruise back to Earth

    The spacecraft fired its thrusters on 10 May 2021 and began its journey back to Earth with the Bennu sample aboard.

    Bennu

  8. Milestone

    Spacecraft renamed OSIRIS-APEX for the extended mission to Apophis

    The spacecraft was named OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security - Apophis Explorer) when NASA announced the extended mission on 25 April 2022, and began OSIRIS-APEX operations after releasing the sample capsule. It still had about a quarter of its fuel when it left Bennu, and it is expected to arrive at asteroid Apophis in 2029 and operate there for about 18 months.

  9. Deployment

    Sample return capsule released toward Earth

    OSIRIS-REx released its sample capsule toward Earth's atmosphere at 6:42 a.m. EDT (10:42 UTC) on 24 September 2023, then diverted; the capsule entered the atmosphere at 10:42 a.m. EDT off the coast of California at an altitude of about 83 miles.

    Earth

  10. Sample return

    Sample capsule lands at the Utah Test and Training Range

    The capsule landed at 8:52 a.m. MDT (10:52 a.m. EDT / 14:52 UTC) in a targeted area of the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range, delivering the first U.S. asteroid sample.

    Earth

  11. Milestone

    Final bulk sample mass announced: 121.6 grams

    NASA announced that the spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of Bennu material, the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space and over twice the mission's 60 g requirement.

    Earth

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • OSIRIS-REx · Spacecraft · Operational; named OSIRIS-APEX when NASA approved the extended mission on 25 April 2022, and redirected to asteroid Apophis, beginning OSIRIS-APEX operations after releasing the sample capsule, with arrival expected in 2029

    Destinations: Bennu

    • OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule · Return capsule · Recovered intact at the Utah Test and Training Range on 24 September 2023 with 121.6 g of Bennu material

      Destinations: Earth

    • Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) · Other · Contacted Bennu's surface for approximately 6 seconds on 20 October 2020 and collected the sample

      Destinations: Bennu

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

No verified trajectory dataset is committed for this mission, so Mission Atlas renders no path.

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through August 23, 2026