Nasa's asteroid-bound spacecraft will blast off next month: Probe will scan for building blocks of life and bring samples back to Earth

Next month Nasa will launch a spacecraft on its journey towards an asteroid, where it will collect and return samples that experts believe may hold the building blocks of life. Nasa's OSRIS-REx spacecraft will travel for two years to reach Bennu, and plans to return to Earth in 2023. Fitted with sensors, the craft will map out the surface of the asteroid in order to address basic questions about the composition of the very early solar system. Next month Nasa will launch a spacecraft on its journey towards an asteroid, where it will collect and return samples that experts believe may hold the building blocks of life. Nasa's OSIRIS-REx will travel for two years to reach Bennu (illustration pictured) 'This mission exemplifies our nation's quest to boldly go and study our solar system and beyond to better understand the universe and our place in it,' said Geoff Yoder, acting associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.