NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

Professor Dan Scheeres is leading the radio science investigation for the approved NASA OSIRIS-REx mission. The OSIRIS-REx mission will launch in 2016 to visit the asteroid Bennu, obtain a sample, and return it to Earth in 2023.

The radio science team is in charge of measuring the mass and gravity field of the target asteroid. This information is crucial for the success of the mission and will provide unprecedented insight into the interior structure of a primitive asteroid.