Asteroid · 101955
Bennu
Samples returned to Earth
OSIRIS-REx collected material from this rubble-pile asteroid and returned it to Earth. The samples allow laboratory measurements that remote observations cannot provide.

Explore the shape
NASA visualization model. Shape and surface appearance are reference representations, not live observations. · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
Understand this world
Why bring asteroid material home?Connect an asteroid’s sampled surface to laboratory measurements of salts and organic compounds, with the limits of those interpretations. · 3 minMeasurements
- Effective diameter
- 0.484 km
- Semimajor axis
- 1.126 AU
- Orbital period
- 436.649 Earth days
Orbit, physical values and uncertainties
- eccentricity
- .2037450762416414 ± 6.9748E-11
- semi-major axis
- 1.126391025894812 au ± 1.9673E-10
- perihelion distance
- .8968944004459729 au ± 2.3047E-10
- inclination; angle with respect to x-y ecliptic plane
- 6.03494377024794 deg ± 6.8601E-9
- longitude of the ascending node
- 2.06086619569642 deg ± 5.5577E-8
- argument of perihelion
- 66.22306084084298 deg ± 6.4419E-8
- mean anomaly
- 101.703952002457 deg ± 4.2749E-8
- time of perihelion passage
- 2455439.141940872670 TDB ± 2.2536E-8
- sidereal orbital period
- 436.6487281120201 d ± 1.144E-7
- mean motion
- .8244613503320309 deg/d ± 2.16E-10
- aphelion distance
- 1.355887651343651 au ± 2.3681E-10
- absolute magnitude
- 20.21 ± 0.03
- magnitude slope
- -0.031 ± 0.009
- diameter
- 0.48444 km ± 0.00030
- extent
- 0.5047 x 0.4918 x 0.4567 km ± 0.002 x 0.002 x 0.002
- GM
- 4.8904e-9 km^3/s^2 ± 0.0009e-9
- bulk density
- 1.194 g/cm^3 ± 0.003
- rotation period
- 4.296061 h ± 0.000002
- rotational acceleration
- 6.34e-8 rad/d^2 ± 0.91e-8
- pole direction
- 85.4522/-60.3678 ± 0.0003/0.0001
- geometric albedo
- 0.044 ± 0.002
- thermal inertia
- 300 J/m^2/s^0.5/K ± 30
- B-V
- 0.64 ± 0.04
- U-B
- 0.16 ± 0.05
- I-R
- -0.33 ± 0.06
- SMASSII spectral type
- B
Published JPL orbital elements describe their stated epoch; they are not current positions. Small-body diameters can be effective/model-dependent sizes, not spherical shapes. Missing measurements remain unavailable. Pluto’s diameter uses the New Horizons reference rather than an empty SBDB field. Orbital epoch: JD 2455562.5 TDB.
Object reference ↗Missions & milestones
1 launches · 8 connected events
These are target-related flights and every connected programme record in the production catalogue. A connected event may concern another stage or target of the same journey. Launch outcome does not establish arrival or current operation.
OSIRIS-Rex science results media call
January 29, 2025 · UTC
OSIRIS-REx Sample Reveal Press Conference
October 11, 2023 · UTC
OSIRIS-Rex Postlanding news conference
September 24, 2023 · UTC
OSIRIS-Rex Sample Return
September 24, 2023 · UTC
OSIRIS-Rex Prelanding media call
September 22, 2023 · UTC
OSIRIS-Rex Departure from Asteroid Bennu
May 10, 2021 · UTC
OSIRIS-Rex Matchpoint rehearsal activities
August 11, 2020 · UTC
OSIRIS-Rex Sample Collection Site Announcement
December 12, 2019 · UTC
OSIRIS-REx
September 8, 2016 · UTC
Complete source cohort: 9,386 records.
