Redwire Technology Helps Keep NASA’s OSIRIS-REx on Course to Asteroid Bennu

October 22, 2020
• Blog

Redwire Technology Helps Keep NASA’s OSIRIS-REx on Course to Asteroid Bennu

The aerospace community held its collective breath with NASA mission control on October 20, 2020 as NASA’s OSIRIS-REx successfully fulfilled its mission to collect dust and rock samples from asteroid Bennu. In addition to the delicate nature of this task, Redwire contributed to the mission as the company’s Coarse Sun Sensor, developed by our Adcole Space teams, is responsible for OSIRIS-REx’s solar-array pointing, sun acquisition and fail-safe recovery operations.

The Coarse Sun Sensor Detector is a navigational instrument used by spacecraft to detect the position of the sun.

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft traveled to a near-Earth asteroid, called Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36), and is bringing back a 2.1-ounce sample back to Earth for study. After orbiting the near-Earth asteroid Bennu for nearly two years, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully made sample collections from Bennu. Part of this feat is that the spacecraft did not touch down on Bennu; only the robotic sample arm set down on the surface of the asteroid. The van-sized spacecraft negotiated building-size boulders to reach a relatively clear space called Nightingale, which is roughly a few parking spaces in size.

OSIRIS REx collect dust and rock samples using robotic arm — OSIRIS REx collects dust and rock samples using robotic arm. If all goes to plan, that sample will be returned to Earth in 2023. The arm reached out to collect a sample, which could be between 2 ounces and 2 kilograms. Then, the spacecraft backed away to safety.

Redwire is very proud to be part of this historic mission. Amongst other scientific advances put forth by this mission, humankind will get a window into the origins of the universe. The samples from Bennu could help scientists understand not only more about asteroids that could impact Earth but also about how planets formed, and life began.

For more information about the Adcole Space Coarse Sun Sensor, click here.

To learn more about the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission, click here.