Jan. 26, 2021 UArizona-Led OSIRIS-REx Mission Plans for May Asteroid Departure On May 10, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will depart asteroid Bennu and begin its two-year journey back to Earth, where scientists will study the dust and rocks it collected from the asteroid's surface.
Oct. 30, 2020 Asteroid's Scars Tell Stories of its Past Impact craters in the boulders on asteroid Bennu allowed researchers to reconstruct the history of the near-Earth object in unprecedented detail.
Oct. 23, 2020 OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Collects Significant Amount of Asteroid The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully collected a large sample from the asteroid Bennu. But because some large pieces of rock are keeping the sample head from fully closing, the team has decided to expedite the stowing process.
Oct. 20, 2020 UArizona Mission Members Celebrate OSIRIS-REx Success Members of the UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission gathered at the university's Michael J. Drake Building to watch NASA's broadcast of the mission's Touch-and-Go sampling event.
Oct. 8, 2020 An Asteroid of a Different Color … and Other Secrets of Bennu Unlocked The UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission will attempt to collect a sample from asteroid Bennu on Oct. 20. Before the spacecraft touches the surface, scientists are learning more about the material that makes up the asteroid.
Sept. 25, 2020 25 Days of 'O-REx' The UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission is poised to accomplish a first for NASA: collect a sample from a near-Earth asteroid and bring it back home. As the Oct. 20 collection date nears, here are 25 facts about the mission.
Sept. 22, 2020 NASA to Provide Update on Agency's First Asteroid Sample Collection Attempt NASA will hold a media teleconference to provide an update on the agency's first attempt to make contact with the surface of asteroid Bennu and collect a sample next month.
Sept. 21, 2020 NASA's OSIRIS-REx to Asteroid Bennu: 'You've Got a Little Vesta on You...' Bits of the asteroid Vesta have been found on the mission's target asteroid Bennu, highlighting the variety of asteroids in the solar system and what it says about its evolution.
Aug. 6, 2020 OSIRIS-REx is One Rehearsal Away from Touching Asteroid Bennu The matchpoint rehearsal will allow the University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx team to exercise nearly all systems before the sample collection event in the fall.
July 15, 2020 Mapping the Solar System: From the Moon to Bennu The OSIRIS-REx science team has created the highest resolution global map of any planetary body. The endeavor is the latest in UArizona's long history of celestial imaging and mapping.