On Tuesday, NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft performed a final dress rehearsal in preparation for sampling our favorite asteroid to hate, Bennu. 

To collect a sample from the surface of Bennu, OSIRIS-Rex must perform four maneuvers, and the dress rehearsal covered the first three. First, the spacecraft performed a deorbit burn to get out of its safe, home orbit and reach the asteroid. Four hours later was the Checkpoint burn, where the spacecraft checks its position and velocity and then adjusts its downward trajectory to approach the surface. Eight minutes after the Checkpoint burn was the Matchpoint burn, which is when OSIRIS-Rex has to match its rotation to Bennu’s in order to fly in tandem with the asteroid above the Nightingale sample site.

All three of these burns went well, and the spacecraft performed a back-away burn to end the rehearsal and return to its safe orbit. Keep in mind that all the commands must be sent in advance due to the 16 light-minutes distance from Earth, and OSIRIS-Rex functions autonomously once the “go” command is given. Also per the press release: During the rehearsal, the spacecraft successfully deployed its sampling arm, the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), from its folded, parked position out to the sample collection configuration. Additionally, some of the spacecraft’s instruments collected science and navigation images and made spectrometry observations of the sample site, as will occur during the sample collection event.

We will be waiting along with all of you for the actual sampling in October.

More Information

NASA Goddard press release