Bringing asteroid rock back to Earth

How far are we from bringing back larger hauls of asteroid rock?

Three asteroid sample return missions have brought material back to Earth or are on their way. Japan's Hayabusa2 returned 5.4 grams from Ryugu in 2020, and NASA's OSIRIS-REx returned 121.6 grams from Bennu in 2023. China's Tianwen-2 launched in May 2025 and aims to bring back about 100 grams from Kamo'oalewa. No mission so far has been shown to return bulk material, so routine, larger hauls have not been demonstrated.

AI illustration · Illustrative scene, not a photograph of the specific device or experiment.
WHERE WE AREScience demonstrated

Far away. The science works, but nobody has built a working system yet.

Sample return from at least two asteroids has been carried out, and the material has been studied in laboratories. The returns have been grams in mass, and the sources reviewed show no mission designed to return larger quantities or to process material. The stage is therefore science-demonstrated for small samples. Routine, larger hauls are not yet shown, and no engineering prototype of a bulk return system has been reported in the sources reviewed.

The tech tree

Everything recorded on Vrulum that this future needs, oldest foundations at the top and the goal at the bottom. Lines show what each step requires.

What it takes: Bringing asteroid rock back to Earth Unlocked Being researched Locked
  1. 2017Asteroid miningResearch and prototypes Being researched.
  2. 2023Asteroid sample return missionsPilot and early commercial Unlocked.
  1. 2010Small sample returned from asteroid ItokawaDone Unlocked.
  2. 2020Sample of 5.4 grams returned from RyuguDone Unlocked.
  3. 2023Sample of 121.6 grams returned from BennuDone Unlocked.
  4. 2025Tianwen-2 sample mission under wayIn progress Being researched.
  5. Date not recordedLarger hauls of asteroid material for processingNot started Locked.
  1. GoalBringing asteroid rock back to EarthGoalRequires: Asteroid sample return missions, Asteroid mining, Small sample returned from asteroid Itokawa, Sample of 5.4 grams returned from Ryugu, Sample of 121.6 grams returned from Bennu, Tianwen-2 sample mission under way, Larger hauls of asteroid material for processing. Locked.

The road so far

3 of 5 steps done, 1 in progress.

  1. Done · 16 Nov 2010Small sample returned from asteroid Itokawa

    JAXA's Hayabusa returned particles from the asteroid Itokawa. JAXA's 16 November 2010 announcement reports that about 1,500 grains were identified as rocky particles, that most were judged extraterrestrial and definitely from Itokawa, and that their size is mostly less than 10 micrometres. [3]

  2. Done · Dec 2020Sample of 5.4 grams returned from Ryugu

    Hayabusa2 made two touchdowns on Ryugu, in February and July 2019, and its sample capsule returned to Earth in December 2020, to the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. JAXA reports a total sample weight of 5.4 grams, excluding the tare weight. Its infrared analysis points to hydrated minerals and possible organic matter, and JAXA describes the sample as the closest of all meteorites to CI chondrites. [2]

  3. Done · 24 Sept 2023Sample of 121.6 grams returned from Bennu

    OSIRIS-REx's sample capsule parachuted to the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range, landing on 24 September 2023. NASA reports 121.6 grams of material returned from Bennu. On 20 October 2023, NASA reports that the mission achieved its sample mass requirement using rock and dust from the outside of the sampler head, which NASA lists as 70.3 grams. [1]

  4. In progress · 28 May 2025Tianwen-2 sample mission under way

    China's Tianwen-2 launched on 28 May 2025 from Xichang on a Long March B rocket, bound for the near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa. The 2025 report gives a scheduled arrival in July 2026 and a planned return of the sample module in November 2027, and says the spacecraft aims to collect about 100 grams. The status of the arrival and sampling as of 21 October 2026 was not confirmed in the sources reviewed. [4]

  5. Not startedLarger hauls of asteroid material for processing

    The sources reviewed show no mission designed to return bulk material for processing or sale. NASA's resource overview says there are still knowledge gaps about the location, form, concentration and distribution of resources on the Moon, Mars and asteroids, and that mission capabilities and net value will multiply when useful products can be created from extraterrestrial resources. No date for such a mission is given in the sources reviewed. [5]

Why it matters

Returned samples are a direct way to test what asteroids are made of, and each mission shows how a sample can be collected and returned to Earth. Knowing what resource-rich asteroids contain is relevant to any later decision about extracting material. Each mission so far has delivered grams, which is enough for laboratory science but not for industrial use.

What stands in the way

  • Every asteroid return so far has brought back grams, and the sources reviewed show no mission designed to return kilograms or more.
  • Knowledge of where asteroid resources are, and in what form and concentration, has gaps, according to NASA's resource overview.
  • The sources reviewed do not show returned material being turned into useful products, and NASA states that net value grows when such products can be created from extraterrestrial resources.
  • Each mission so far has targeted a single body, and the sources reviewed do not describe a repeatable programme for larger returns.

Signals to watch

  • Tianwen-2 arriving at Kamo'oalewa, collecting a sample and returning it in November 2027 as scheduled.
  • Mission designs that name a sample mass well above grams, with a funded return vehicle.
  • Published results from the Bennu and Ryugu sample curation, showing how much of each sample is available for research.

Sources

  1. government report
    NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission to Asteroid Bennu
    NASA, 2024.
  2. government report
    Ryugu is a primitive asteroid rich in water and organic matter
    JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), 22 Dec 2021.
  3. government report
    JAXA announcement on Hayabusa particles from asteroid Itokawa
    JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), 16 Nov 2010.
  4. news
    China launches Tianwen-2 asteroid sample-return mission
    Michael Banks. Physics World, 30 May 2025.
  5. government report
    Overview: In-Situ Resource Utilization
    NASA, 26 Jul 2023.

Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.