Image: ESA
European Space Agency specialists published a picture space station OSIRIS-REx, which visited the asteroid (101955) Bennu and is approaching Earth. The picture was taken by the OGS (Optical Groud Station) telescope.
The automatic device in the photograph represents a dozen pixels, since it is located at a distance of almost 4.7 million kilometers from Earth.
The OSIRIS-REx probe departed to the asteroid Bennu in September 2016 and entered its orbit in December 2018. The next two years were spent remotely studying the asteroid and preparing for the soil collection operation, which was successfully carried out in October 2020.
On September 24, a capsule with a soil sample is expected to land in Utah. The probe itself will continue its space path and go to the asteroid (99942) Apophis, which is considered potentially dangerous for the Earth and will approach the planet on April 13, 2029.