Best Sample Return
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The Hayabusa2 mission, developed by JAXA, successfully collected and returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu. This active space mission deployed a spacecraft to study the near-Earth asteroid, analyzing its composition and surface features. The returned material provides invaluable data for scientis...
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft undertook a NASA mission to study the asteroid Bennu. Launched in 2016, it successfully collected a sample from the near-Earth object and returned it to Earth in 2023. This represents the first U.S. mission to acquire an extraterrestrial material sample. Scientists utilize...
Chang’e 6 is a Chinese space mission successfully delivering lunar samples from the Moon’s far side in December 2024. This represents the first time a robotic spacecraft has collected and returned material from this permanently shadowed region. The mission's data and samples are valuable for scienti...
The Chang’e 5 spacecraft represents a significant achievement in space exploration. Launched by China in 2020, it successfully retrieved lunar samples from the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon. This mission returned approximately 1.7 kilograms of material, providing valuable data for scientist...
The Hayabusa mission, developed by JAXA, successfully retrieved microscopic samples from the asteroid Itokawa in 2010. This marked a historic first, as it was the initial space mission to return material collected from an extraterrestrial body. Scientists utilize these samples to study the compositi...
Chang'e 5-T1 was China's 2014 test mission that sent a return capsule around the Moon to validate high-speed Earth reentry for Chang'e 5.
Fobos-Grunt was a Russian sample-return mission launched in 2011, notable for failing to leave Earth orbit on its planned trip to Phobos.
