NASA completes solar array work on NEO Surveyor sunshade
The 20-foot structure is designed to shield an infrared telescope from sunlight and supply power as the spacecraft searches for hard-to-find near-Earth objects.
NASA said on October 26 that teams had completed solar array integration and functional testing on the sunshade for its NEO Surveyor spacecraft in Boulder, Colorado. The work advances a component that will both shield the mission’s infrared telescope from sunlight and supply power as it searches for near-Earth asteroids and comets.
The sunshade stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall and measures 8 feet (2.4 meters) across its base. Its two flat panels meet at a 23.5-degree angle and carry 864 interconnected solar cells. NASA says the array can produce up to 2 kilowatts of electricity, enough to charge the onboard batteries that power the spacecraft’s systems.
Why NEO Surveyor needs a sunshade
NEO Surveyor is designed to detect infrared emissions from asteroids and comets warmed by the Sun. Blocking sunlight from the telescope’s 20-inch (50-centimeter) aperture will help keep the instrument cool and prevent glare from entering it. The spacecraft will observe the same region of sky in two infrared bands, allowing its science team to estimate an object’s temperature and size. Size is a key measure when assessing near-Earth objects.
NASA says the mission will search for objects that ground-based optical telescopes have more difficulty finding, including some in the direction of the Sun. That makes the sunshade’s protective role central to the planned survey: it must help the telescope observe faint infrared signals while its solar cells generate the electricity the spacecraft needs.
How the sunshade reached this stage
Applied Aerospace built the structure in Stockton, California, and SolAero Technologies fitted its solar cells in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January, according to NASA. The sunshade and array completed environmental testing at a thermal vacuum facility in El Segundo, California, in March. NASA said the hardware was delivered ahead of schedule to BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder in May.
Since that delivery, teams have added coarse Sun sensors, used to determine the spacecraft’s orientation, and temperature sensors. They also completed functional and performance testing of the array, NASA said. The announcement describes work on the sunshade and its array; it does not announce completion of the entire spacecraft.
Starlust reported that NEO Surveyor is scheduled to launch in September 2027. The planned flight would put the combined sunshade and power source to work in space, where the mission is intended to search for potentially hazardous objects that cross Earth’s path.
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Sources and context
- Sunshade for NASA’s NEO Surveyor Mission Ready for Its Day in SunNASA Science
- NEO Surveyor update: 20-foot tall sunshade for NASA's asteroid hunter now readyStarlust
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.