Lunar Surface Test Engineer

Interlune•Seattle, WA

59d•$110,000 - $195,000•Onsite

About The Position

Interlune is a space resources company based in Seattle, WA, focused on providing resources from space to power a clean and sustainable economy on Earth and in space. They are looking for a proactive individual to join their early-stage team and contribute to humanity’s progress toward an off-world future. The engineering team possesses expertise in geological sciences, mechanical engineering, automation, systems engineering, modeling and simulation, and advanced fabrication to develop the infrastructure for an in-space economy. The ideal candidate should be agile, eager to learn, and capable of taking on multiple roles. The company is seeking a test engineer to develop and execute test approaches for lunar surface systems throughout R&D, prototype development, environmental verification, and flight hardware qualification. This role requires strong hands-on test execution skills combined with the ability to design test methods, fixtures, instrumentation, and data acquisition approaches for both standard aerospace environments and nonstandard lunar-regolith and dust testing. While applicants from all industries are welcome, experience in complex, multi-disciplinary system development is emphasized. Prior experience in the space, agriculture, construction, or mining industries is valuable but not mandatory.

Requirements

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
4+ years of experience planning, executing, or supporting development, prototype, environmental, or qualification testing for hardware systems.
Hands-on experience designing, building, or integrating test setups, fixtures, instrumentation, data acquisition systems, or related test hardware.
Experience developing test procedures, supporting test planning, and analyzing test data to assess performance against test objectives or requirements.
Excellent verbal, written, and communication skills with a keen attention to detail.
Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.

Nice To Haves

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Spacecraft Systems Engineering, Space Resources, or a related technical subject area.
Experience with structural, environmental, or mechanism testing for space or other extreme-environment hardware.
Experience with planetary, soil, particulate, dust, or regolith simulant testing.
Experience designing mechanical hardware, fixtures, test beds, or support equipment for development or qualification testing.
Experience with instrumentation selection, calibration, data acquisition systems, and uncertainty analysis.
Working knowledge of lunar regolith behavior, planetary surface environments, or related surface operations constraints.

Responsibilities

Lead test planning and development of test methods for lunar-regolith, dust, and other nonstandard environments where established protocols are limited or unavailable.
Contribute to verification test plans and write detailed test procedures for development, prototype, environmental, and qualification testing.
Design and implement test setups, including fixtures, instrumentation, data acquisition systems, calibration approaches, and data uncertainty analyses.
Lead hands-on integration, test safety and readiness, debugging, and execution of testing, including contamination and configuration control for test articles, procedures, and data.
Analyze and report test results, support correlation with models and analysis, and use results to inform design improvements, simulant development, and future test approaches.