OSIRIS-REx Departs Bennu and Delivers Sample

This animation shows NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft departing asteroid Bennu, returning to Earth, and dropping off a capsule of pristine material from the asteroid. On September 24, 2023, the sample return capsule will enter Earth’s atmosphere, cross the Western U.S., deploy its parachute, and touch down at the Air Force’s Utah Test and Training Range in the Great Salt Lake Desert. From there, the capsule will be flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where its samples of asteroid Bennu will be curated, distributed, and studied for decades to come.

Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab/SVS