NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission flies by asteroid Bennu one final time

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is conducting a final flyby of the asteroid Bennu on Wednesday.

The spacecraft made history when it briefly touched down on the asteroid on October 20, 2020, and collecting a hefty 2-ounce sample from the surface.

The sample, safely tucked inside the spacecraft, will be returned to Earth in 2023.

The OSIRIS-REx mission, formally known as the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer, first arrived at the asteroid in December 2018 and has been orbiting it ever since.