The Bennu asteroid, a space rock not too far from Earth that is rich in carbon, continues to be a trove of information for ...

Bennu is a primitive rock. It has remained mostly unchanged since the birth of our solar system around 4.6 billion years ago. On September 24, 2023, dust and mineral samples were hauled to Earth by ...

Analyzing pristine fragments of the asteroid delivered to Earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2023, a team led by ...

The samples could change what we know about the origins of the solar system. A seven-year-long NASA mission has come to an end with the first asteroid sample collected in space. This capsule, the size ...

Plans are firming up to bring a sample of Mars back to Earth in 2031. A joint webinar last month by NASA and Lockheed Martin, which has participated in NASA sample return missions before, l went over ...

NASA is looking for ways to get rock samples back from Mars for less than the $11 billion the agency would need under its own plan, so last month, officials put out a call to industry to propose ideas ...

The first pristine pieces of Mars won't be coming down to Earth for at least another decade, but the time to start preparing society for the epic arrival is now, scientists say. NASA's 2020 Mars rover ...

Albuquerque, N.M. – International planning is under way to reinvigorate plans for a Mars sample return mission, with researchers assessing science priorities and strategies to maximize the scientific ...

NASA aims to return Martian soil and rock samples to Earth in the 2030s, marking the first such planetary sample return mission. A decision on the mission profile is delayed until mid-2026. Two ...

China plans to launch two heavy-lift Long March 5 rockets with elements of the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission in 2028, the mission’s chief designer said Thursday. In a presentation at a Chinese ...