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

Osiris Rex Instruments

This graphic whose the location of science instruments on NASA’s Osiris-Rex asteroid sample-return mission.

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OSIRIS-REx in the Clean Room

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in the clean room at the Lockheed Martin facility. The spacecraft (with the silver cap) is set to launch in September.

OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft at Lockheed Martin

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, built at Lockheed Martin's Littleton, Colorado campus, will collect a sample from asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth. The spacecraft is kept in a clean room to reduce the risk of contaminating the asteroid sample with material from Earth.

Asteroid Sample Mission Spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx

The high gain antenna and solar arrays were installed on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft prior to it moving to environmental testing.

OSIRIS-REx's sample-return capsule

OSIRIS-REx's sample-return capsule will bring back to Earth bits and pieces of asteroid Bennu.

Leonard David in OSIRIS-REx Clean Room

NASA’s spacecraft to an asteroid – the OSIRIS-REx mission — is being readied for a 2016 liftoff. Gary Napier, Lockheed Martin spokesman (left) and reporter Leonard David (right) stand in front of spacecraft build-up on April 6, 2015 as technicians work on the probe for launch next year.

OSIRIS-Rex Spacecraft Assembly

Lockheed Martin technicians in a clean room facility near Denver assembled NASA's OSIRIS-Rex asteroid-sampling spacecraft.

NASA’s Osiris-Rex Next to a Person

This image shows how large NASA’s Osiris-Rex asteroid sampling spacecraft is compared to a person.

Criteria for Choosing Asteroid 1999 RQ36

This chart depicts the criteria for choosing asteroid 1999 RQ36 as the target asteroid for NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission.