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ASTEROID

Bennu

A carbon-rich Near-Earth asteroid — OSIRIS-REx returned 121.6 g of samples to Earth in 2023.

Orbits Sun

B-type carbon-rich Near-Earth asteroid, classified Potentially Hazardous.
Sample-returned by NASA OSIRIS-REx u2014 121.6 g delivered 24 September 2023.
First U.S. asteroid sample-return mission.
Surface is a loose rubble pile; discovered to actively eject particles into orbit.

Physical Properties

Mean radius0 km

Mass7.329e10 kg

Density1.19 g/cm³

Rotation period4.296 h

Bond albedo0.046

Orbit

OrbitsSun

Semi-major axis1.126 AU

Eccentricity0.2037

Inclination6.035°

Orbital period1.195 yr

Sources & Further Reading

Numerical values (radius, mass, orbital elements, temperatures) are drawn from NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheets, JPL Horizons, and the JPL Small-Body Database. Last refreshed: 2026-04-18 18:19:27.

Bennu is a 490-m diameter, carbonaceous Near-Earth asteroid (Apollo class) classified as Potentially Hazardous due to its small but non-zero long-term Earth-impact probability. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft rendezvoused with Bennu in December 2018, collected 121.6 grams of surface material with a TAGSAM device on 20 October 2020, and delivered those samples to Earth on 24 September 2023 — the first U.S. asteroid sample return.

Before sample delivery, OSIRIS-REx revealed that Bennu is an active asteroid that spontaneously ejects particles into temporary orbit, and that its surface is almost entirely covered in loose boulders rather than smooth regolith. Initial 2024 laboratory analysis of the samples has identified abundant hydrated clays and carbon-rich organic molecules.