NASA has completed the first American asteroid sample return in history.

The US government space agency said its that a capsule containing rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu landed back on Earth on Sunday morning.

NASA said the sample will help scientists worldwide make discoveries to better understand planet formation and the origin of organics and water that led to life on Earth.

The Bennu sample weighs around 250 grams and will today be transported in its unopened canister to NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston.

From there, scientists will disassemble the canister, extract and weigh the sample, create an inventory of the rocks and dust, and, over time, distribute pieces of Bennu to scientists worldwide.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson added that since Bennu is a potentially hazardous asteroid, what scientists may learn from the samples could also help “better understand the types of asteroids that could come our way.”

He continued: “Congratulations to the OSIRIS-REx team on a picture-perfect mission – the first American asteroid sample return in history – which will deepen our understanding of the origin of our solar system and its formation.”

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