NASA SHOCK: ‘Unexpected’ Bennu asteroid data is ‘biggest surprise’ of scientist’s career

Studying Bennu allows researchers to understand the origins of the solar system, the resources in near-Earth space and see how asteroids could impact Earth.

Project manager Rich Burns said: “Throughout OSIRIS-REx’s operations near Bennu, our spacecraft and operations team have demonstrated that we can achieve system performance that beats design requirements.

“Bennu has issued us a challenge to deal with its rugged terrain, and we are confident that OSIRIS-REx is up to the task.”

In the three months since the spacecraft touched down on Bennu, the team have made many discoveries.