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Major asteroid sample brought to Earth in NASA first

NASA’s first asteroid sample from deep space parachutes into the Utah desert to cap a seven-year journey.

Asteroid Sample Return
The sample capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission sits on the ground shortly after touching down in the desert on September 24, 2023. [Keegan Barber/NASA via AP]
Published On 25 Sep 2023

A seven-year space voyage came to its climactic end when a NASA capsule landed in the desert in the US state of Utah, carrying to Earth the largest asteroid sample ever collected.

Scientists have high hopes for the sample, which landed on Sunday, saying it will provide a better understanding of the formation of our solar system and how Earth became habitable.

The 6.21-billion-km (3.86-billion-mile) journey marked the United States’ first sample return mission of its kind, the US space agency said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

NASA chief Bill Nelson hailed the mission and said the asteroid dust “will give scientists an extraordinary glimpse into the beginnings of our solar system”.

The OSIRIS-REx probe sent its sample capsule into a fiery, perilous descent through Earth’s atmosphere, but NASA managed to engineer a soft landing at 8:52am (14:52 GMT) in the military’s Utah Test and Training Range.

Four years after its 2016 launch, the probe had landed on the Asteroid Bennu and collected what NASA estimated is 250g (9oz) of dust from its rocky surface.

OSIRIS-REx released its capsule from an altitude of more than 107,826km (67,000 miles).

The fiery passage through the atmosphere came only in the last 13 minutes as the capsule hurtled downward with temperatures of up to 2,760 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit).

Asteroid Sample Return
A parachute slowed the sample capsule's descent so it could land safely in the western US state of Utah. [Keegan Barber/NASA via AP]
Asteroid Sample Return
NASA officials collect data next to the sample capsule after its return to Earth following a seven-year journey. [Keegan Barber/NASA via AP]
Asteroid Sample Return
NASA officials prepare the sample capsule containing material from Asteroid Bennu for transport. [Keegan Barber/NASA via AP]
Asteroid Sample Return
On-scene Commander of Recovery Jasmine Nakayama attaches the sample capsule to a helicopter for transport to a "clean room" to prevent contamination of the sample with material from Earth. [Keegan Barber/NASA via AFP]
Asteroid Sample Return
A helicopter delivers the capsule to a temporary clean room at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. [Rick Bowmer/Pool/AP Photo]
Asteroid Sample Return
A recovery team member examines the capsule before it is taken to the temporary clean room. [Rick Bowmer/Pool/AP Photo]
Asteroid Sample Return
Recovery team members carry the capsule to the temporary clean room before its scheduled flight on September 25, 2023, to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for testing. [Rick Bowmer/Pool/AP Photo]
Technicians in a clean room examine the sample return capsule
In this image from video provided by NASA, technicians in a clean room examine the sample return capsule. It is scheduled to be opened on September 26, 2023, in Houston. [NASA via AP]