Professor Boris Gänsicke, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, said: “The asteroids in our solar system contain the raw building blocks from which the Earth was made, so working out their composition will tell us a lot of how our planet formed. There are many open questions, for instance where did the water that we have on Earth come from? And where did the ingredients that made life possible to develop come from?

“To answer those questions, i.e. measure the composition of an asteroid, you need to get your "hands" on them (or in this case the arm of a space mission), and this is what OSIRIS-REX achieved. In a nutshell, it's similar to sitting in front of a delicious dinner and wanting to have the list of ingredients.”

Dr Minjae Kim, Research Fellow, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, added: “Bennu is one of the most accessible asteroids due to its Earth-like orbit with low eccentricity and inclination. Additionally, it's a relatively small-sized asteroid that spins rapidly making it particularly intriguing, as these factors suggest that loose material on its surface can be easily expelled.

“Most importantly, what makes Bennu truly remarkable is its unique composition. It is classified as a carbon-rich asteroid (a lot of carbon in and along with its various minerals), believed to harbour organic compounds that date back to the early days of our solar system nearly 4 billion years ago. Only a few asteroids including Bennu offer such insights, making Bennu a crucial celestial body for shedding light on the origins of life on our own planet.”