OSIRIS-REX FIRST SAMPLE COLLECTION ATTEMPT, Oct 20, 2020, Bennu

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return spacecraft will make its first attempt to collect a sample of the asteroid Bennu on October 20, 2020.  If successful, no further attempts will be made.   The spacecraft will depart Bennu in mid-2021 and return the sample to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023.

The sample collection is achieved using a robotic arm called TAGSAM — Touch and Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism.

More information about the mission is on its website.

NASA TV will air coverage of the attempt narrated by mission Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta and NASA science communicator Michelle Thaller from 5:00-6:30 pm ET on October 20.  Other briefings are planned the days before and after; see separate calendar entries.