What is a sample return mission?

Sample return missions are among the most scientifically valuable and technically challenging space missions. They collect rock, dust, or atmosphere from a target body and transport it back to Earth, where scientists can use advanced instruments that are too heavy or complex to send into space. Japan’s Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions returned asteroid samples, and NASA’s OSIRIS-REx returned material from asteroid Bennu, with the sample capsule landing in 2023. Future sample return missions are central to lunar science and the broader search for clues about solar system history.