Back in 2015, Chemring Energetic Devices (CED) supplied critical components for NASA’s unique Asteroid Bennu mission to return a sample from the ancient asteroid on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.
OSIRIS-REx launched from the Atlas V 411 Rocket on September 8 2016, on a seven-year mission, successfully rendezvousing with Bennu in 2018. The spacecraft carried out two rehearsals preparing for the sampling procedure, which successfully took place on 20 October 2020.
Three years and 200 million miles later, on 24 September 2023, the spacecraft completed its mission of returning a sample of the asteroid to Earth. Its Sample Return Capsule (SRC) touched down in the Utah desert in a picture-perfect landing. Just before re-entering Earth's atmosphere, the Sample Return Capsule separated from the Spacecraft Body, which required two Chemring cable cutters.
The SRC contained about a cup's worth of asteroid rocks collected from the surface of Bennu; the black pebbles and dirt are older than Earth and are undisturbed remnants of the solar system's early days of planet formation.
Said Michael Ord,
“This is an astonishing feat of engineering and manufacturing… our components were constructed in 2015 ahead of the 2016 launch, then four years to sample collection in 2020, then a further three years until separation and sample return to earth - so seven years in space and then mission-critical functioning of cable cutters to ensure mission success. An outstanding example of our team’s expertise.”
This mission will help scientists investigate how planets are formed and how life began and improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.
Photo: © NASA HQ PHOTO