OSIRIS-REx: NASA's Asteroid Sample-Return Mission in Pictures

OSIRIS-REx View of Asteroid Bennu

The near-Earth asteroid Bennu, as seen by NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe on Dec. 2, 2018.

Bennu

The south polar region of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, photographed by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe on Dec. 17, 2018. OSIRIS-REx entered orbit around Bennu two weeks later.

bennu

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured these images of Bennu's south pole on Jan. 17.

Bennu animation

This still image of the asteroid Bennu comes from an animation of pictures taken by the NavCam 1 instrument on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, showing the spacecraft's asteroid view from Nov. 30, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018.

OSIRIS-REx View of Bennu

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured this photo of the asteroid Bennu on Nov. 16, 2018, from a distance of 85 miles (136 kilometers). OSIRIS-REx arrived at the space rock on Dec. 3.

Bennu OSIRIS-REx

The near-Earth asteroid Bennu, as seen by NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe on Nov. 2, 2018, from a distance of about 122 miles (197 kilometers). OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to arrive at Bennu on Dec. 3.

OSIRIS-REx Approach Bennu

An artist’s illustration of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft approaching the asteroid Bennu.

Bennu

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured this shot of the Earth and moon (left) and the asteroid Bennu (right) on Dec. 19, 2018. At the time, OSIRIS-REx was 71 million miles (114 million kilometers) from Earth and 27 miles (43 km) from Bennu.

Asteroid Bennu

On Aug. 17, 2018, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft obtained its first images of its target, the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. OSIRIS-REx was about 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) from Bennu at the time.

OSIRIS-REx Earth-Flyby Photo

NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling spacecraft captured this photo of Earth on Sept. 22, 2017, shortly after performing a speed-boosting flyby of our planet.

Sampling an Asteroid

NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission launched in 2016 to collect samples of the asteroid Bennu and return them to Earth. See photos from the mission here.

On Sept. 22, 2017, OSIRIS-REx will fly by Earth in a gravity assist maneuver (shown here in an artist's illustration) to accelerate it on its way to Bennu.