[meteorite-list] Construction to Begin on OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Set to Visit Asteroid in 2018

[Ron Baalke]

April 10, 2014

Construction to Begin on NASA Spacecraft Set to Visit Asteroid in 2018

NASA's team that will conduct the first U.S. mission to collect samples 
from an asteroid has been given the go-ahead to begin building the spacecraft, 
flight instruments and ground system, and launch support facilities.

This determination was made Wednesday after a successful Mission Critical 
Design Review (CDR) for NASA's Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource 
Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx). The CDR was held 
at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Littleton, Colo., April 1-9. 
An independent review board, comprised of experts from NASA and several 
external organizations, met to review the system design.

"This is the final step for a NASA mission to go from paper to product," 
said Gordon Johnston, OSIRIS-REx program executive at NASA Headquarters, 
Washington, DC. "This confirms that the final design is ready to start 
the build-up towards launch."

OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2016, rendezvous with 
the asteroid Bennu in 2018 and return a sample of it to Earth in 2023. 
The spacecraft carries five instruments that will remotely evaluate the 
surface of Bennu. After more than a year of asteroid reconnaissance, the 
spacecraft will collect samples of at least 2 ounces (60 grams) and return 
them to Earth for scientists to study.

"Successfully passing mission CDR is a major accomplishment, but the hard 
part is still in front of us -- building, integrating and testing the 
flight system in support of a tight planetary launch window," said Mike 
Donnelly, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
in Greenbelt, Md.

Key mission objectives focus on finding answers to basic questions about 
the composition of the very early solar system and the source of organic 
materials and water that made life possible on Earth. The mission will 
also aid NASA’s asteroid initiative and support the agency's efforts to 
understand the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects 
and characterize those suitable for future asteroid exploration missions. 
The initiative brings together the best of NASA's science, technology 
and human exploration efforts to achieve President Obama's goal of sending 
humans to an asteroid by 2025.

"The OSIRIS-REx team has consistently demonstrated its ability to present 
a comprehensive mission design that meets all requirements within the 
resources provided by NASA," said Dante Lauretta, principal investigator 
from the University of Arizona, Tucson. "Mission CDR was no exception. 
This is a great team. I know we will build a flight and ground system 
that is up to the challenges of this ambitious mission."

In January, NASA invited people around the world to submit their names 
to be etched on a microchip aboard the spacecraft. After submitting their 
name, participants are able to download and print a certificate documenting 
their participation in the OSIRIS-REx mission. The campaign is open until 
September 30, 2014.

Goddard Space Flight Center will provide overall mission management, systems 
engineering, and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Lockheed 
Martin Space Systems in Denver will build the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is 
the third mission in the agency's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall 
Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages New Frontiers for the 
agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The University of 
Arizona leads OSIRIS-REx and provides the camera system and science processing 
and operations center.

For more information about the OSIRIS-REx mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

and

http://asteroidmission.org

To participate in "Messages to Bennu," go to:

http://planetary.org/bennu

-end-

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

Nancy Neal Jones
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0039
nancy.n.jones at nasa.gov