The OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling mission will deliver pieces of asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, before moving on to study asteroid Apophis in 2029.
It will take the craft nearly 2 1/2 years to get back to Earth.
In this undated image provided by NASA, a sample container hovers over a capsule on the Osiris-Rex spacecraft near the asteroid Bennu. The capsule will eventually return to Earth with rubble collected in the container on Oct. 20, 2020, from the asteroid’s surface. (NASA via AP)
(CN) The first NASA spacecraft scheduled to bring asteroid samples to Earth has begun the long journey home, four years after reaching the ancient asteroid Bennu. The craft carries rock and sediment from the asteroid, which could strike our planet in the late 22nd century.