New analysis of asteroid dust reveals evidence of salty water in the early Solar System

A view of eight sample trays containing the final sample material from asteroid Bennu. Erika Blumenfeld & Joseph Aebers/JSC

In October 2020, a van-sized robotic spacecraft briefly touched down on the surface of Bennu, a 525-metre-wide asteroid 320 million kilometres from Earth.

As part of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, the spacecraft not only spent two years orbiting and imaging the asteroid, it also collected a precious sample of dust and small rocks from Bennu’s rubbly surface.