NASA Scientists Commemorate Completion of OSIRIS-REx’s Decades-Long Mission with Triumph
“Today marks the end of my almost 20-year adventure,” stated Dante Lauretta, principal investigator of OSIRIS-REx at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Once again, Earth witnessed asteroid fragments making their way through the atmosphere, this time safely descending in a controlled manner inside a man-made capsule instead of causing destructive fireballs in an empty patch of North American desert. On September 24, NASA celebrated the successful return of its first asteroid sample delivery with the arrival of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range. This achievement signifies the conclusion of a mission that has been nearly two decades in the making.
Lauretta explained, “Today concludes an almost 20-year adventure for me. In February 2004, representatives from Lockheed Martin approached the University of Arizona in Tucson with the idea of an asteroid sample return mission, and they wanted us to take a leading scientific role. I initially joined as the deputy principal investigator but later assumed the principal investigator position after my mentor, Professor Mike Drake, passed away just four months after winning the contract from NASA. I know he would have been extremely proud and thrilled about today’s accomplishment.”
In addition to Lauretta, the press conference included Mike Moreau, OSIRIS-REx recovery lead; Tim Priser, chief engineer for deep space exploration at Lockheed Martin; and Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Division for Planetary Sciences. Moreau expressed his difficulty in describing the significance of this moment, saying, “I have worked on this project for a decade, from its early development to mission operations and leading the recovery team.” Priser highlighted the exhilarating moment when the main parachute deployed, emphasizing the strong bonds formed within the team over the years. He acknowledged how team members watched each other’s children grow and shared in the joy of this special occasion.
The landing was labeled a tremendous success by mission leaders, with nearly everything going according to plan. Priser humorously added that the capsule seemed to have its own personality, knowing to make a gentle landing near a road. Moreau praised the precision of the spacecraft operators, who benefited from the use of the U.S. Air Force’s tracking cameras and radar systems.
Lauretta proudly announced that the mission was completed within the expected timeline, under budget, and with a greater quantity of sample material than initially anticipated. However, the mission had to undergo planetary protection reviews due to concerns of Earth’s biology contaminating the sample. Given that the asteroid sampled, named Bennu, was a near-Earth asteroid that had already interacted with Earth in the past and was constantly exposed to ionizing radiation, an “unrestricted Earth return” was granted. Currently, the samples are securely stored in a container under a nitrogen purge to keep them isolated from Earth-based contaminants.
The samples will soon be transported to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where a global team of over 200 scientists will begin examining them as early as September 26. Glaze expressed excitement for the scientific analysis potential of these samples, stating that they will be a treasure for years to come, benefiting future generations.
While the Bennu samples embark on their new Earth-bound journey, the mother ship, OSIRIS-REx, remains operational. Following the sample drop-off, the spacecraft is now headed for its next destination: the asteroid Apophis. It is expected to reach Apophis in April 2029, continuing its mission of exploration.
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