On September 8, 2016 at 23:05 UTC the “Atlas V” rocket-carrier was launched from Cape Canaveral launch site of US Air Force. The launch was performed by United Launch Alliance supported by the 45th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited the “OSIRIS-Rex” (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) space probe. The “OSIRIS-Rex” is a robotic probe to visit Asteroid Bennu and return an unspoiled sample of the primitive body that may hold the seeds of life. It will be a 7-year round trip journey to Bennu and back. The space vehicle will swing by the Earth on September 22, 2017, receiving a gravity-assisted slingshot to bend the flight path to intercept the destination — Asteroid Bennu — in August 2018 for a three-year stay. Attachments: |