Mechanical Engineer (Rotary Actuators) - Space Solar

The role

You will design, analyze, and qualify rotating mechanisms that deploy and orient solar arrays. This includes solar array drive assemblies, deployment hinges, latches, and gimbals for use in space.

What you will do

• Own rotary actuator designs from concept through detailed design, analysis, build, test, and flight
• Select and integrate motors, gearheads, bearings, slip rings, and position sensors
• Size drivetrains for required torque, speed, lifetime, and backlash
• Perform mechanism analysis including torque margin, friction budgets, stiffness, backlash, jitter, and life
• Verify performance against requirements through hand calculations and FEA
• Specify lubrication, materials, and surface treatments suited to vacuum, thermal cycling, and radiation
• Manage tribology and wear over mission life
• Design and execute mechanism qualification and acceptance testing
• Partner with electrical, controls, and avionics teams on motor drive electronics and closed-loop control
• Work with manufacturing to design for assembly, alignment, and rate production

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline
• 1+ years of mechanism, actuator, or precision mechanical design experience (internship and academic experience applicable)
• Proficiency with 3D CAD
• Ability to produce detailed engineering drawings with GD&T

Nice to have

• Master's degree in an engineering discipline
• Hands-on experience designing rotary mechanisms for flight or other high-reliability applications
• Proficiency selecting and integrating brushless DC motors, harmonic drives, planetary gearheads, and precision bearings
• Familiarity with space-rated tribology
• Experience with slip rings, twist capsules, or other rotary power/signal transfer devices
• Working knowledge of motor drive electronics, encoders/resolvers, and closed-loop position or velocity control
• Experience executing mechanism qualification campaigns
• Familiarity with aerospace mechanism standards and practices
• Exposure to solar array deployment systems, SADAs, antenna pointing mechanisms, or similar spacecraft mechanisms
• Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, and retirement plans
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• Flexible policies to support balance
• Professional growth opportunities through training and development

Before you apply

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, or Asylee, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from

About the company

Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. They are building robotic systems that locally produce water, power, and oxygen.