NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launch thrusters adjust its trajectory to perfect its sample module's landing position on Earth, scheduled for September 24 at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. On September 17, NASA's OSIRIS-REx engineers slightly moved the orbit of the spacecraft to adjust the landing position of the sample capsule. The spacecraft will deliver the sample capsule to Earth on September 24. The spacecraft briefly activated its thrusters on Sunday, changing its speed relative to Earth by 7 inches (3 millimeters per second) per minute.
On September 17, NASA adjusted the trajectory of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to fine-tune the landing site of the sample module that will return to Earth on September 24. The adjustment moved nearly 8 miles east, ensuring the capsule landed at the designated landing zone at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. Source: NASA
This final corrective maneuver moved the sample module's projected landing location nearly 8 miles (12.5 kilometers) east to the center of the intended landing zone within a 36-mile by 8.5-mile (58 kilometers by 14 kilometers) area at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.
This image shows the trajectory of the spacecraft and sample capsule as they returned to Earth after the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft released the sample capsule above Earth on September 24. The yellow diamonds indicate dates when the spacecraft performed maneuvers that slightly adjusted the spacecraft's trajectory, bringing it closer to Earth, then pointing toward Earth, and finally flying past Earth. Image source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sunday's maneuver was an adjustment from a critical Sept. 10 maneuver that allowed the spacecraft to release a sample capsule containing rocks and dust from asteroid Bennu this weekend from 63,000 miles (or 102,000 kilometers) above the Earth's surface.
The spacecraft is currently about 1.8 million miles (or 2.8 million kilometers) from Earth and flying towards Earth at a speed of about 14,000 miles (about 23,000 kilometers) per hour.
OSIRIS-REx is NASA's first asteroid sample return mission. It was launched in September 2016 and embarked on a journey to explore a near-Earth asteroid called "Bennu". On September 24, 2023, the space capsule containing the Bennu samples will land in the western desert of Utah. This will be the exciting finale of this mission. Source: NASA
On September 8, 2016, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral and embarked on a journey to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. After traveling in space for more than two years, it successfully rendezvoused with its target on December 3, 2018.
After arriving at Bennu, OSIRIS-REx performed extensive detailed mapping work, allowing scientists to understand the asteroid's topography and select the best locations to collect samples. Subsequently, the spacecraft performed a bold "Touch-And-Go" (TAG) maneuver on October 20, 2020, deftly touching the asteroid's surface to collect samples. This critical operation collected an estimated 8.8 ounces of rocky material, which will be the first asteroid sample collected by the United States after the asteroid returns.
After spending nearly five years in space, OSIRIS-REx started its main engine on May 10, 2021, and started its journey home at full speed for seven minutes. It carries precious rocks and dust from Bennu as it flies toward Earth. The much-anticipated sample will land on Earth on September 24.