-
NASA’s project
-
OSIRIS-Rex stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer.
-
Aim: To travel to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu and bring a small sample back to Earth for study.
-
Launched in 2016.
-
It was the first U.S. mission to successfully collect a sample from an asteroid.
-
Duration: The mission is essentially a seven-year-long. The mission will conclude when at least 60 grams of samples are delivered back to the Earth.
-
NASA scientists feel that the Bennu asteroid hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth