Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

Star Catcher•Jacksonville, FL

About The Position

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to support development of space-to-space power-beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, an orbital power grid. The company is developing technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft using their existing solar panels. The engineer will serve as a subject matter expert with extensive experience across spacecraft mechanism development, including mechanism architecture, actuator and drivetrain selection, torque margin analysis, deployment kinematics, life and thermal-vacuum testing, and flight qualification. The role also serves as a technical focal point across engineering and manufacturing disciplines, develops mechanism standards and documentation, and mentors engineers and technicians. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering field and at least 10 years of experience designing and qualifying spacecraft mechanisms. The role requires demonstrated leadership of space-system development and ownership of a mechanism from concept through qualification and flight. A master's or PhD, along with experience in deployable structures, multibody dynamics, pointing or gimbal mechanisms, and relevant space standards, is preferred. The company offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, paid parental leave, and other benefits. Employment is contingent on a background check and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Applicants must meet U.S. Government space-technology export-control requirements, including ITAR eligibility.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering field.
At least 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 spacecraft mechanism torque and force margin analysis per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent.
Creative problem-solving skills and the ability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges.

Nice To Haves

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 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 communicate and work effectively in a multidisciplinary team while prioritizing tasks, multiple projects, and personnel.
Ability to identify risks to spacecraft mechanism components and assist in developing mitigations, drafting requirement changes, or documenting waiver requests.

Responsibilities

Own the spacecraft mechanism architecture, including hinges, booms, dampers, latches, and synchronization hardware.
Define requirements for hold-down and release mechanisms, including release-device selection, preload sizing, and separation-shock allocation.
Lead the design of pointing gimbals and set their actuation, range, accuracy, and resolution requirements.
Establish torque and force margin practices across worst-case friction, thermal, and end-of-life conditions, and approve margins for flight.
Direct deployment kinematics and multibody-dynamics analysis to verify sequencing, rates, latch-up, and induced spacecraft loads.
Define material, bearing, and lubricant selection for vacuum compatibility, and set handling, cleanliness, and outgassing controls.
Own mechanism development, qualification, and life-test campaigns in ambient and thermal-vacuum conditions.
Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) analysis and implementation for mechanism components.
Support systems engineering in writing detailed requirements for mechanism functionality and verification methods.
Serve as the technical focal point for mechanisms across mechanical design, structures, opto-mechanical, avionics, and manufacturing.
Create technical documentation for proposals, design reviews, and test reports to support program deliverables and new business.
Mentor engineers and technicians, and establish standards for mechanism design, analysis, documentation, and review practices.