NASA’s NEO Surveyor Sunshade Undergoes Clean‑Room Inspection
The 20‑foot sunshade for the Near‑Earth Object Surveyor was inspected at BAE Systems in Colorado after a series of tests.
The large sunshade of NASA’s Near‑Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor was inspected in a clean room at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in July 2026.
The structure stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall and measures 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide at its base. Its two flat panels are joined at a 23.5‑degree angle and were covered with 864 interconnected solar cells before being tested and shipped to Colorado.
The specialized solar array can produce up to 2 kilowatts of power, providing all the electricity needed to charge the onboard batteries that run the spacecraft’s systems.
The sunshade frame was built by Applied Aerospace in Stockton, California, and the solar cells were installed by SolAero Technologies in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January. Environmental testing of the sunshade and its solar array was completed at a commercial thermal vacuum facility in El Segundo, California, in March, and the unit was delivered to BAE Systems ahead of schedule in May.
When operational, NEO Surveyor will search for hard‑to‑detect asteroids and comets, including those positioned near the Sun where ground‑based telescopes struggle.
More information about the mission is available at NASA’s science website.
