Spacecraft Mechanical Design Engineer

Star Catcher•Jacksonville, FL

19h•Onsite

About The Position

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is hiring a Spacecraft Mechanical Design Engineer to support development of space-to-space power-beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, an orbital power grid. The role designs, details, and maintains configuration control of mechanical systems and components used on spacecraft, satellites, and other space-related technologies. The work includes CAD modeling and drawing release, mass-property and tolerance management, cross-discipline interface resolution, supplier and fabrication coordination, and hands-on hardware build and integration. The engineer also documents and presents technical data supporting design decisions, analysis, testing, and integration.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, structural, or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
At least three years of experience designing, drafting, and releasing flight hardware, ground support equipment, or test hardware in an aerospace manufacturing environment or other relevant industry.
Experience producing production-quality parametric models, fabrication drawings, and assembly drawings with GD&T per ASME Y14.5 in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent.
Experience working in a managed CAD data environment, including revision control, release states, and engineering change processing.
Experience maintaining a spacecraft or vehicle mass-properties record, including mass, center of gravity, and inertia reporting against an allocated budget.
Hands-on experience in a shop, lab, or cleanroom environment supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing.
Creative problem-solving skills and the capability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges.
Willingness to follow company standards and procedures.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
Experience with deployable structures and their stowed and deployed configurations.
Experience designing sheet metal, machined, composite, or bonded assemblies.
Structural hand calculations or finite element analysis sufficient to size parts ahead of formal analysis.
Tolerance stack-up analysis using worst-on-worst, RSS, and statistical analysis methods.
CAD automation using iLogic, Python, or equivalent for templates, parts libraries, and drawing checks.
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.

Responsibilities

Design mechanical components and assemblies in Autodesk Inventor to meet program requirements.
Create fabrication and assembly drawings using GD&T, and process them through drawing review and release.
Maintain spacecraft CAD configuration, including assembly structure, part numbering, and revision state; keep deployable structures’ stowed and deployed envelopes current as the design changes.
Track spacecraft mass properties against the allocated budget and report growth and margin at each design review.
Perform tolerance stack-up analysis using worst-on-worst, RSS, and statistical methods where appropriate.
Resolve mechanical interfaces and clearances across structures, mechanisms, thermal, optical, and avionics hardware, and drive fit issues to closure.
Partner with machinists and suppliers on producibility, tolerance, and finish; support make-versus-buy and fabrication planning for owned parts.
Design enclosures for circuit cards and other electrical components, coordinating with Electrical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, and Structural Analysis to protect electronics for launch and space environments.
Support hands-on build and integration of flight hardware, ground support equipment, and test hardware; disposition fit, clearance, and installation issues found at the bench.
Maintain drafting templates, standard parts libraries, and modeling practices to ensure consistent released models and drawings.
Write technical documentation supporting hardware analysis, build, test, and integration; document and present technical data justifying design choices.