Asteroid & Comet Missions

Latest about Asteroid & Comet Missions

An artist's visualization video showing the Psyche spacecraft getting closer to the asteroid.
NASA's Psyche metal asteroid mission will have a big impact on astronomy. Here's how

By Monisha Ravisetti Published

NASA's launching a spacecraft toward an intriguing metal asteroid on Oct. 12. Here's what we might find on 16 Psyche.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
a small spacecraft with solar panels stretching out at either end like wings approaches an asteroid.
NASA's Psyche metal asteroid mission launches this week: Here's what you need to know

By Robert Lea Published

NASA's Psyche spacecraft is set to launch on Oct. 12, beginning its mission to investigate a giant metal asteroid of the same name and unravel the secrets of the early solar system.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
a black and white animation of a cone-shaped capsule being shot into space
OSIRIS-REx watched its asteroid sample capsule head toward Earth (photos)

By Mike Wall Published

NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe captured photos during the release of its return capsule last month, preserving the historic moment for posterity.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
the 27 engines of a spacex falcon heavy rocket are seen up close inside a hangar.
SpaceX fires up Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of Psyche asteroid mission launch

By Mike Wall Published

SpaceX fired up its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket on Saturday (Sept. 30) to get it ready to launch NASA's Psyche asteroid mission on Oct. 12.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
illustration of a spacecraft flying over a large asteroid with the blackness of space in the background.
NASA delays launch of Psyche asteroid mission by 1 week, to Oct. 12

By Mike Wall Published

The launch of NASA's Psyche mission has been delayed by a week to Oct. 12, so the team can deal with a recently detected thruster issue.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return to Earth: Live updates

By Tariq Malik last updated

NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission will return pieces of asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. Follow the historic landing live here.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
technicians in white coats work on a shiny silvery spacecraft inside a white-walled room.
SpaceX launch of NASA's Psyche asteroid mission is just 2 weeks away

By Mike Wall Published

NASA's Psyche mission is set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Oct. 12.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
photo collage showing a stylized asteroid sample-return capsule descending via parachute in front of three different buildings.
NASA picks 3 museums to display OSIRIS-REx asteroid samples

By Robert Z. Pearlman Published

As NASA saw its first asteroid sample return to Earth, three museums took particular notice, knowing they had been chosen to display small examples of the space rock material.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
four people in blue protective equipment handle a metal canister inside a laboratory
NASA opens OSIRIS-REx's asteroid-sample canister (photos)

By Mike Wall Published

Scientists removed the outer lid of OSIRIS-REx's sample canister on Tuesday (Sept. 26). But a full reveal of the mission's asteroid sample is still two weeks away.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
workers unload a silver crate from a plane and put it in the back of a truck.
OSIRIS-REx's asteroid sample lands in Houston (photos)

By Mike Wall Published

The asteroid sample collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft landed in Houston today (Sept. 25), a day after arriving on Earth from very deep space.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
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