• Skip to main content
Stellar Solutions

Stellar Solutions

Crossing the Boundaries

  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Stellar Foundation
    • News
  • What We Do
    • Business Sectors
    • Stellar Advisors
    • Stellar Ventures
    • QuakeFinder
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

Stellar Solutions’ proud ties to NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex

Industry veteran and emerging leader participated in historic mission

September 24 will be a momentous day in space exploration, when NASA’s OSIRIS-REx and the first-ever U.S. asteroid sample – believed to be formed in the early solar system 4.5 billion years ago – returns to Earth.

The sample is from Bennu, an asteroid that NASA says will render pristine material – rocks and dust collected from the asteroid’s surface in 2020 – offering generations of scientists a window into the time when the Sun and planets were forming.

Two Stellar Solutions engineers were involved in this mission:

  • Joe Witte, Senior Systems Engineering Consultant, is a Launch Systems Engineer supporting GSFC TSIS-2 and DAVINCI missions. Prior to joining Stellar, he spent 41 years at Lockheed Martin, where he was the Launch Systems Engineer for OSIRIS-Rex among seven interplanetary NASA missions and was Planetary Protection Lead for all missions since 2000.

    In his role in the project, Joe conducted all the planning and preparation for the launch campaign besides the normal launch vehicle contractor coordination as well as supporting Assembly Integration and Test especially during LV hardware and launch environment testing.

    “OSIRIS-REx was significant because of its mission goal of retrieving a sample for the mineralogical science investigation and for overcoming the mission operation challenges posed by an asteroid surface that was rougher than anticipated. Working with the spacecraft and science teams and the NASA team getting to launch created a family bond that paid off during the long mission operations phase of observation, sampling and now culminating in the sample retrieval,” he says.

  • Erin Farrell, now an instrument systems engineer at Stellar, worked on the project in 2014 when she was a summer intern at Stellar, assigned to NASA Goddard. She worked on the shipping container for the OVIRS instrument, a spectrometer which scanned the asteroid to assist in the selection of the sample site.

    After graduating from Penn State with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, she joined Stellar where she has held various systems engineering roles on ICESat-2, TIRS-2, and Landsat-9. She earned an M.S. Mechanical Engineering, at University of Maryland in 2021.

    Today she looks back on the opportunity to work on this project at the early stages of her career with gratitude. “I was honored to contribute even in a finite way to a mission that will expand our knowledge of the solar system.”

“The OSIRIS-Rex project demonstrates the power and potential of space exploration and research. We are very proud to have in our own Stellar orbit Joe Witte who played an integral role in the project, and Erin Farrell who participated in it at the launch point in her career,” said Janet Grondin, Stellar Solutions CEO.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will release the sample capsule for a safe landing in the Utah desert. The capsule will pierce Earth’s atmosphere at 8:42 a.m. MDT (10:42 a.m. EDT), traveling about 27,650 mph (44,500 kph). Parachutes will bring the capsule’s descent to a safe landing speed. At touchdown, the capsule will have slowed to about 11 mph (18 kph) Finally, just 13 minutes after entering the atmosphere, the capsule will be on Earth for the first time in seven years, awaiting the recovery team’s approach. https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/2023/09/08/heres-how-sept-24-asteroid-sample-delivery-will-work/

Once secured, the capsule will be flown by helicopter to a temporary clean room on the military range and then prepared for transport to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston the next day. Scientists at Johnson will care for the sample, store it, and distribute it to the OSIRIS-REx science team and other scientists worldwide. Most of the sample will be available upon request for generations to come.

NASA will be broadcasting the landing starting 10 a.m. EDT on NASA TV, the NASA app, and on their official website.

For more information see https://www.nasa.gov/feature/esnt/2023/teams-watch-weather-as-osiris-rex-returns-asteroid-sample/

Written by admin · Categorized: News

Copyright © 2025 · Stellar Solutions · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT