Outer space

Lockheed Martin’s asteroid-sampling spacecraft in final testing ahead of 2016 launch

NASA is mere months away from the launch of the first mission to collect samples from an asteroid and return them to Earth. Before the OSIRIS-REx mission can get off the ground, it needs to be thoroughly tested, and that’s what manufacturer Lockheed Martin is about to begin. The spacecraft is fully assembled, so it’s time to see if it will stand up to the rigors of space travel.

OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (take a wild guess whether the name or acronym was decided on first). The goal of the mission will be to encounter an asteroid called 101955 Bennu in orbit of the sun. This object is about 500 meters in diameter and is considered a potential Earth impactor. OSIRIS-REx will ease up alongside the asteroid to collect a sample before heading home.