“We’ve built an fantastic spacecraft, we’ve launched it, and it’s on the way to Bennu”, said NASA’s Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. According to NASA, the liftoff and orbital burns went off without a hitch and the spacecraft is functioning as expected.
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The critical moments won’t happen for two more years, though.
You can follow the mission on Twitter.
It’s the start of the seven-year OSIRIS-REx mission (the initials stand for “Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer”, because NASA never met an overly elaborate acronym it didn’t like) to survey the near-Earth asteroid Bennu.
The bite-size bits of ancient space rock from asteroid Bennu could hold clues to the origin of life, not just on our planet but potentially elsewhere in the solar system. If one of those asteroids brought the organic material which provided the ingredients for life here on Earth, that not only will change our understanding of this planet, but it will change our views of the probability of life on other planets as well.
“An uncontaminated asteroid sample from a known source would enable precise analyses, providing results far beyond what can be achieved by spacecraft-based instruments or by studying meteorites”, it said. The 19-story tall rocket lifted off Thursday evening from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, reaching speeds of 22,000 miles per hour.
Nasa said that the spacecraft has already deployed its solar arrays, which are powering it.
OSRIS-REx is now on a seven-year mission to recover dirt from the asteroid, which researchers say will reveal more about Earth’s origins.
After gathering at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of material, Osiris-Rex will fly back to Earth, jettisoning a capsule holding the asteroid-sample container for a parachute descent and landing in the Utah desert in September 2023.
NASA successfully launched a space probe bound for the asteroid Bennu Thursday, September 8 at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Thousands gathered to witness the evening launch of Osiris-Rex, a robotic hunter that looks something like a bird with its solar wings.
The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, but some of its essential components were designed and built right here in Arizona.
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The US space agency also hopes Osiris-Rex will demonstrate the advanced imaging and mapping techniques needed for future science missions and for upcoming commercial asteroid-mining expeditions. The new mission brings to mind explosions of a different kind, long past, as people begin to learn about asteroids.
