| Atlas 5 launches OSIRIS-REx to Bennu at sunset 9/8/16 ~ 7:05pm Homepage Launch Photos A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifts off at sunset with the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, the first mission United States mission to retrieve and return a piece of an asteroid and the biggest sample return mission since the Apollo era. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer will rendezvous with asteroid Bennu in late 2018 and return a small sample of it to Earth on September 24, 2023. This was just the second time an Atlas flew with a single SRB on the side - a 411 configuration - from Cape Canaveral, the previous time being in April 2006. Launch, rollout and pad photos for this mission are credit United Launch Alliance. Cleanroom spacecraft photos are copyright to this website. Spacecraft in the cleanroom Rollout **Sunset on pad** **Night photos on pad** Astronomy Picture of the Day! <--- NROL-61 GOES-R ---> |
| Photos at sunset, night and in the cleanroom (click for more) |
