Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

The role

This person will support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network. They will own spacecraft mechanism architecture and lead design, analysis, and testing processes.

What you will do

• Own the spacecraft mechanism architecture including hinges, booms, dampers, latches, and synchronization hardware.
• Define requirements for hold-down and release mechanisms.
• Lead the design of pointing gimbals and set their requirements.
• Establish torque and force margin practices and approve margins for flight.
• Direct deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics analysis.
• Define material, bearing, and lubricant selection for vacuum compatibility.
• Own mechanism development, qualification, and life test campaigns.
• Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery analysis and implementation.
• Support the systems engineering team in writing detailed requirements.
• Serve as the technical focal point for mechanisms across multiple disciplines.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering field
• Minimum of 10 years of experience designing and qualifying spacecraft mechanisms
• Demonstrated leadership of space systems development, including ownership of a mechanism from concept through qualification and flight
• 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, and their qualification and shock environments
• Proficiency producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent
• Experience performing torque and force margin analysis of spacecraft mechanisms per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent
• Creative problem-solving skills

Nice to have

• Master's or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field
• Experience with deployable structures such as booms, reflectors, or solar arrays, and the gravity offload techniques used to test them
• Multibody dynamics or kinematic simulation of deployment events using Adams, Inventor Dynamic Simulation, or equivalent
• 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
• Ability to identify risks to the mechanism components of a spacecraft and assist in developing mitigation efforts, drafting changes to the requirements, or documenting requests for waivers

Benefits

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

Before you apply

• All offers of employment are contingent upon results of a thorough background check
• Must be able to 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.