NASA asteroid explorer aces final rehearsal before sampling run – Spaceflight Now

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft moved within about 131 feet, or 40 meters, of asteroid Bennu this week in the $1 billion mission’s final practice run before a touch-and-go landing on the asteroid in October to collect samples for return to Earth.
During the sampling rehearsal Tuesday, engineers monitoring the spacecraft’s maneuvers from Earth confirmed that navigation algorithms, software for autonomous operations, science instruments, and numerous mechanical systems all functioned as expected.
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