NASA spacecraft successfully complete asteroid touch-and-go

NASA OSIRIS-REx probe has completed its mission to collect samples from asteroid Bennu and is currently on its way back.

OSIRIS-REx, short for Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security — Regolith Explorer, was launched in September of 2016. Its mission was to briefly land and collect samples from the surface of 101955 Bennu, a B-type asteroid located three hundred and thirty-four million kilometers away from Earth. Scientists consider Bennu is to be a "time capsule" as it's origin dates back to the earliest stages of our solar system and hopes the sample will give them valuable insights.

The spacecraft is expected to return at around September 24, 2023, whereupon it will eject its sample capsule toward a specific location in the Utah desert. Afterward, the vehicle will perform a final maneuver away from Earth and will begin its final journey toward deep space.