NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with its targeted asteroid, Bennu, on Monday, Dec. 3 at approximately noon EST.

NASA will air a live event from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm EST to highlight the arrival of the agency's first asteroid sample return mission. The program will originate from OSIRIS-REx's mission control at the Lockheed Martin Space facility in Littleton, Colorado, and will air on NASA Television, Facebook Live, Ustream, YouTube and the agency's website.

NASA TV also will air an arrival preview program starting at 11:15 am EST.

OSIRIS-REx launched in September 2016 and has been slowly approaching Bennu.

The spacecraft will spend almost a year surveying the asteroid with five scientific instruments with the goal of selecting a location that is safe and scientifically interesting to collect the sample. OSIRIS-REx will return the sample to Earth in September 2023.

Related Links
OSIRIS-REx
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology

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Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 26, 2018
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