ESA telescope captures OSIRIS

The OGS telescope is a versatile instrument that can perform various tasks in space observation. It was originally designed to monitor space debris and test laser communication technologies, but it has also expanded its scope to study near-Earth asteroids and conduct night-time astronomy. It has even discovered dozens of minor planets in the solar system.

📷 First view of @NASASolarSystem #OSIRISREx returning with asteroid sample: spotted on 16 September by ESA’s Optical Ground Station telescope in Tenerife, OSIRIS-REx was 4.66 million km from Earth.

🔗https://t.co/pQxcJE3r1B #ToBennuAndBack pic.twitter.com/iujAaJoDJh

— ESA (@esa) September 21, 2023

The capsule will parachute down to a landing site in the Utah desert on Sunday, September 24, where NASA scientists will be waiting to retrieve it. The sample, which weighs about 250 grams, is the first-ever collected from an asteroid by a U.S. mission. NASA is scheduled to offer a live broadcast of the sample delivery event, commencing at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. Anticipatedly, the capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at 10:42 a.m. ET, hurtling through space at approximately 27,650 miles per hour (44,498 kilometers per hour). Approximately 13 minutes later, it is expected to touch down in Utah.

Our #OSIRISREx spacecraft is set to deliver NASA's first pristine asteroid sample on Sunday, Sept. 24. Watch live coverage of reentry and landing starting at 10am ET (1400 UTC): https://t.co/Z9XCBlYOJ0

What else we have planned: https://t.co/9aPAiNGbmn pic.twitter.com/QD8hJh3b9m

— NASA (@NASA) September 19, 2023

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, will not return to Earth with the capsule. Instead, it will continue its journey in space and fly by another asteroid named Apophis in 2029.

Apophis was once considered a potential threat to Earth, but recent observations have ruled out any possibility of impact in the next century. OSIRIS-REx will provide a close-up view of the 1,213-foot-wide (370-meter-wide) asteroid and help scientists learn more about its shape, size, and composition.

The sample from Bennu, however, is the main prize of the mission. Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid that formed about 4.5 billion years ago when the solar system was still young. Studying its material can reveal clues about the origin and evolution of planets and life.

Bennu is also of interest because it has a small chance of hitting Earth in the late 22nd century. By measuring its orbit and mass, OSIRIS-REx can help scientists predict its future trajectory and assess the risk of impact.

The mission has already achieved several milestones and made some surprising discoveries. OSIRIS-REx performed the closest orbit ever around a planetary body and mapped Bennu’s surface in unprecedented detail. It also found that Bennu is an active asteroid that occasionally ejects particles into space.

One of the most remarkable findings was the presence of water ice and organic carbon on Bennu’s surface. These elements are essential for life and suggest that Bennu may have originated from a larger parent body that was once habitable.

The most challenging part of the mission was to collect a sample from Bennu’s rugged terrain. OSIRIS-REx had to touch down on a narrow site surrounded by boulders and use a robotic arm to blast air and scoop up dust. The maneuver was successfully executed on October 20, 2020.

🪨 This Sunday, @NASA is set to return a sample from an asteroid. The #OSIRISREx mission is delivering soil from another world to #Earth. 🛰️🌎

👽 Are we at risk of being contaminated by extraterrestrial samples? The short answer is no.

This space feat is a great opportunity… pic.twitter.com/Zjb6FQx7Qa

— Human Spaceflight (@esaspaceflight) September 22, 2023

Rehearsals

Since bidding Bennu farewell in May 2021, OSIRIS-REx has been on a return trip to Earth, circling the Sun twice to fly by our planet at the right time to drop off the asteroid sample.

NASA and Lockheed Martin Space have dedicated a significant portion of this year to meticulously practicing each phase of the sample retrieval procedure. They have conducted simulations encompassing diverse scenarios and potential challenges, all aimed at guaranteeing a seamless and secure landing.

For this observation, the OGS telescope was operated by ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), which is part of the Agency’s Planetary Defence Office. The NEOCC is responsible for tracking and assessing the risk of potentially hazardous asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth. It also supports scientific missions like OSIRIS-REx that aim to explore and understand these fascinating objects.