Which NASA mission returned the first samples from an asteroid to Earth?

OSIRIS-REx was the NASA mission that returned the first United States asteroid samples to Earth.

The spacecraft launched on September 8, 2016, and reached the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in December 2018. After detailed mapping, it selected a rugged site called Nightingale for sample collection. On October 20, 2020, OSIRIS-REx briefly touched Bennu’s surface with its TAGSAM mechanism and blew nitrogen gas into the loose material, collecting a sample.

The return capsule landed in Utah on September 24, 2023. Scientists received more than 100 grams of asteroid material, exceeding the mission’s minimum goal. Bennu is scientifically important because carbon-rich asteroids preserve material from the early Solar System and may contain clues about the ingredients delivered to young planets.

Japan’s Hayabusa missions returned asteroid samples earlier, but OSIRIS-REx was NASA’s first successful asteroid sample-return mission. After releasing its capsule, the spacecraft continued toward asteroid Apophis under the extended mission name OSIRIS-APEX.