Emily Lakdawalla • May 23, 2016
OSIRIS-REx shipped to Florida for September launch
OSIRIS-REx's long journey to an asteroid has begun. The first step was a small and quick one, relatively speaking: the spacecraft departed Colorado on Friday, travelling aboard an Air Force C-17 to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. Now safely in a clean room in Florida, it'll undergo final assembly, testing, and fueling before being encapsulated in a rocket fairing and then stacked atop an Atlas V rocket. The launch period opens on September 8 and closes on October 12.
The OSIRIS-REx Twitter account couldn't resist a Colorado-specific joke upon its departure Friday, as a consequence of which I am writing the rest of this blog entry with John Denver songs running through my brain.
All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go. I'm standing here outside @LockheedMartin's door... 🎶 #ShipToCape pic.twitter.com/afV0hkzgH7
— OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) May 20, 2016
Here's a bit of a photo album of the journey. I can't imagine how terrifying it is to let your precious spacecraft take a trip of any length on a truck on a freeway, but of course this kind of journey happens at least once for every spacecraft. (Let us not speak of the effects of Galileo's multiple truck journeys.)
![OSIRIS-REx on the road](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRISmove_002.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRISmove_002.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20160524_OSIRISmove_002.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20160524_OSIRISmove_002.jpg 576w)
![Loading OSIRIS-REx](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1721_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-20-16_0341.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x860_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-20-16_0341.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x550_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-20-16_0341.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x413_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-20-16_0341.jpg 576w)
![Unloading OSIRIS-REx](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_IMG_0426.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_IMG_0426.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20160524_IMG_0426.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20160524_IMG_0426.jpg 576w)
The day after shipping it, they unboxed the spacecraft.
Whew! It was warm in there. #ShipToCape pic.twitter.com/GJPXkUciMk
— OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) May 21, 2016
Great to see you, @NASAKennedy! This is a great clean room you've got for me. #ShipToCape pic.twitter.com/81WBRLNVZv
— OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) May 21, 2016
![OSIRIS-REx at Kennedy Space Center for final assembly](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-21-16_0499.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-21-16_0499.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-21-16_0499.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20160524_OSIRIS-RExShipping5-21-16_0499.jpg 576w)
It's a relief to have that journey over. The scariest part, the launch, is just three months away. But OSIRIS-REx has a more complicated journey ahead of it than most, needing to travel to an asteroid, touch down on it, depart, and then send its sample return capsule to a safe landing. I'll be following it every step of the way!
The Time is Now.
As a Planetary Defender, you’re part of our mission to decrease the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid or comet.
Donate Today