SpacecraftNear-Earth asteroidEnded

OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer)

NASA spacecraft launched on 8 September 2016 that collected material from near-Earth asteroid Bennu and delivered 121.6 grams to Earth on 24 September 2023. NASA's initial analysis reported high carbon content and water-bearing clay minerals; the spacecraft continues as OSIRIS-APEX toward asteroid Apophis (2029).

Objective. Return a sample of carbon-rich asteroid Bennu; NASA lists 'Resource Identification' (mapping the chemistry and mineralogy of a primitive, carbon-rich asteroid) among the mission's objectives.

Sampled

Facts

Kind: Spacecraft
Mission type: Sample return
Target: Near-Earth asteroidAsteroid (101955) Bennu
Launch: 2016-09-08
Phase: EndedSample delivered 2023-09-24; the spacecraft's follow-on OSIRIS-APEX mission is out of scope here.
Outcome: SuccessBasis: agency statement
Why it is included: Stated resource objective

Outcome statement (agency statement)

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu when it returned to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023

Participants

Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.

Organization	Role
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	Operator

Resources and evidence

Resource	Evidence
Regolith	Sampled

Open evidence gaps

Inclusion rests on NASA's named 'Resource Identification' objective; no peer-reviewed resource-framed finding is cited on this record.

Sources

5 sources

[1]OSIRIS-REx
NASA ScienceGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: launch date
Launched on Sept. 8, 2016, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[2]What's in a Name? New Mission, Age-old Questions
NASA ScienceGovernment recordPublished 2016-09-08Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: objective, inclusion basis
Resource Identification - Map the chemistry and mineralogy of a primitive, carbon-rich asteroid.
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[3]NASA Announces OSIRIS-REx Bulk Sample Mass
NASA ScienceGovernment recordPublished 2024-02-15Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: outcome, resources
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu when it returned to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[4]NASA's Bennu Asteroid Sample Contains Carbon, Water
NASAGovernment recordPublished 2023-10-11Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: summary
The bounty of carbon-rich material and the abundant presence of water-bearing clay minerals are just the tip of the cosmic iceberg.
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[5]OSIRIS-REx
NASA ScienceGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: phase
the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS-APEX and sent on a new mission to explore asteroid Apophis in 2029
Quote matched the source text when accessed.