The OSIRIS-REx team is now preparing the spacecraft for the next phase of the mission, the return cruise to Earth.
The departure window was scheduled to open in March 2021 for OSIRIS-REx to begin its voyage home on 10 May 2021.
On April 7, 2021, OSIRIS-REx completed its final flyover of Bennu and began slowly drifting away from the asteroid. On 24 September 2023, the OSIRIS-REx return capsule is scheduled to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and land under a parachute at the Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range.
OSIRIS-Rex is the synonym for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer). The probe was built by Lockheed-Martin and is operated by NASA. The launch was on September 8, 2016, at 23:05 UTC on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 from Cape Canaveral, Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida.
On 20 October 2020 at 22:13 UTC, OSIRIS-REx successfully touched down on Bennu. NASA confirmed via images taken during sampling that the sampler had made contact. The spacecraft touched down within 92 cm (36 in) of the target location.
A sample of the asteroid which was estimated to weigh at least 2 ounces (60 grams) was collected by OSIRIS-REx following the touchdown. After imaging the TAGSAM head, NASA concluded that there are rocks wedged in the mylar flap that is meant to keep the sample in, causing the sample to slowly escape into space. In order to prevent further loss of the sample through the flaps, NASA cancelled the previously-planned spinning manoeuvre to determine the mass of the sample as well as a navigational braking manoeuvre and decided to stow the sample on 27 October 2020 rather than 2 November 2020 as was originally planned, which was completed successfully.
It was seen that the collector head hovering over the SRC after the TAGSAM arm moved it into the proper position for capture and later the collector head secured onto the capture ring in the Sample Return Capsule.
