Why is it in the news?

• NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft is set to return to Earth.
• OSIRIS-REx was launched in 2016 with the mission to study and collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) Bennu.

About the Mission

• First United States asteroid sample return mission.
• Aims to collect a pristine asteroid sample and bring it back to Earth for scientific study.
• Equipped with five instruments, including cameras, a spectrometer, and a laser altimeter.
• Features a robotic arm called the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) for collecting a sample from the asteroid.
• Scientists will use the asteroid samples to study the formation of the solar system and habitable planets like Earth.
• NASA will distribute a portion of the samples to laboratories worldwide and reserve 75% for future generations.

Asteroid Bennu

• Ancient asteroid located more than 200 million miles from Earth.
• Landing site on Bennu: Nightingale.
• Approximately as tall as the Empire State Building and named after an Egyptian deity.
• Discovered in 1999 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research team.
• Classified as a B-type asteroid, rich in carbon and minerals.
• Reflects only about 4% of incoming light.
• Offers insights into the early solar system’s conditions and chemistry.
• Provides valuable information about the solar system’s early history and the potential for life-seeding ingredients.