Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

The role

This person will design, analyze, and qualify deployment, release, and pointing mechanisms for spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network. They will work on hardware development from concept through flight drawings and testing.

What you will do

• Design deployment mechanisms including hinges, booms, dampers, and latches using Autodesk Inventor.
• Develop hold-down and release mechanisms including device selection and shock characterization.
• Design pointing gimbals and define actuation, range, accuracy, and resolution requirements.
• Perform torque and force margin analysis across various conditions.
• Analyze deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics.
• Select bearings, lubricants, and materials for vacuum compatibility.
• Plan and execute mechanism development, qualification, and life test campaigns.
• Create test fixtures and gravity offload setups.
• Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery analysis and implementation.
• Generate and release engineering drawings and change orders.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum three years of experience designing spacecraft mechanisms or other relevant industry experience.
• Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent.
• Hands-on experience in a shop, lab, or cleanroom environment supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing.
• Experience sizing and selecting precision actuators and drivetrains, including stepper or brushless DC motors, harmonic drives, gearheads, and encoders.
• Experience selecting vacuum-compatible bearings and lubricants, and addressing tribology, cold welding, and outgassing in flight mechanism design.
• Experience with hold-down and release devices, including non-explosive actuators or pyrotechnic devices.
• Experience performing torque and force margin analysis of spacecraft mechanisms per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent.
• Creative problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to follow company standards and procedures.

Nice to have

• Master's or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
• Multibody dynamics or kinematic simulation of deployment events.
• Experience with deployable structures such as booms, reflectors, or solar arrays, and the gravity offload techniques used to test them.
• Structural analysis of mechanism components in Ansys Mechanical.
• Experience with pointing or gimbal mechanisms and their interaction with attitude control and pointing jitter.
• Familiarity with regulations and standards relevant to space missions and operations.
• Ability to effectively communicate and work in a multidisciplinary team setting while prioritizing tasks, multiple projects, and personnel.

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent upon results of a thorough background check.
• Must provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.
• To conform to ITAR, you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from t

About the company

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy. They are building technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft's existing solar panels.