A powerful spaceship is heading towards Earth. They carry valuable cargo

The sample was taken from the asteroid Bennu, and is expected to remain It was delivered to Earth on September 24. The ship will launch a cargo capsule that will land about 13 minutes later in a designated area of ​​the Department of Defense Test and Training Range in Utah southwest of Salt Lake City.

The OSIRIS spacecraft itself will not stay near Earth for long. Once the sample is safely delivered, He will be sent on another mission Aimed at examining the asteroid Apophis. Therefore it will acquire a new name, Osiris-Apex (Osiris-Apophis Explorer).

The OSIRIS-REx mission has been launched In September 2016. Sample heading toward Earth Downloaded in 2020. Since then, the ship has returned to unload its cargo. This is NASA’s first attempt to collect a sample directly from an asteroid. Scientists are already waiting to be able to carefully analyze it and discover potential evidence about it The origin of life on Earth.

Bennu is an asteroid with a rubble structure and, therefore, nIt is made of solid rock. Its diameter is just over 500 metres. It consists of loosely bound rocks and particles that form a cohesive unit thanks to the effect of gravity.

The OSIRIS spacecraft is currently located 7 million kilometers from Earth. It moves with the average Speed ​​23,000 km for an hour. According to NASA, another correction to the planned flight path will have to be made On September 17th, That is, a week before the planned landing.