The asteroid Bennu. OSIRIS-REx — the firstever sampling mission by NASA to the distant asteroid Bennu — was successfully launched into space on Sept. 8, 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The asteroid Bennu. OSIRIS-REx — the firstever sampling mission by NASA to the distant asteroid Bennu — was successfully launched into space on Sept. 8, 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.