Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

Star Catcher•Jacksonville, FL

4h•Onsite

About The Position

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is seeking a Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to support development of space-to-space power-beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, an orbital power grid. The engineer will design, analyze, and qualify deployment, release, and pointing mechanisms used on spacecraft, satellites, and other space-related technologies. The role covers mechanism development from concept through flight drawings and qualification, including deployment hardware, hold-down and release devices, and pointing gimbals. It includes analysis of mechanism performance and dynamics, selection of vacuum-compatible components and materials, and planning and execution of development, qualification, and life testing. The engineer will also create engineering documentation, support hardware procurement and integration, and collaborate across spacecraft engineering and manufacturing teams.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
At least three years of experience designing spacecraft mechanisms or other relevant industry experience.
Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T using Autodesk Inventor or an equivalent tool.
Hands-on experience in a shop, laboratory, or cleanroom 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 spacecraft mechanism torque and force margin analysis in accordance with NASA-STD-5017 or an equivalent standard.
Creative problem-solving skills and the ability 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 engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
Experience with multibody dynamics or kinematic simulation of deployment events.
Experience with deployable structures such as booms, reflectors, or solar arrays, and with gravity-offload testing techniques.
Experience performing 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 communicate and work effectively in a multidisciplinary team while prioritizing tasks, multiple projects, and personnel.

Responsibilities

Design deployment mechanisms—including hinges, booms, dampers, and latches—from concept through flight drawings using Autodesk Inventor.
Develop hold-down and release mechanisms, including selecting release devices, sizing preload, and characterizing separation shock.
Design pointing gimbals and define requirements for actuation, range, accuracy, and resolution.
Perform torque and force margin analysis across worst-case friction, thermal, and end-of-life conditions.
Analyze deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics to verify sequencing, rates, latch-up, and induced spacecraft loads.
Select bearings, lubricants, and materials for vacuum compatibility, and specify handling, cleanliness, and outgassing controls.
Plan and execute mechanism development, qualification, and life-test campaigns under ambient and thermal-vacuum conditions.
Create test fixtures and gravity-offload setups for deployment testing.
Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) analysis and implementation for mechanism components.
Generate and release engineering drawings for parts and assemblies in accordance with drafting standards and GD&T; create and release engineering change orders documenting design changes.
Serve as a technical liaison with fabrication shops in support of procurement efforts.
Write technical documentation for hardware analysis, build, test, and integration to meet program requirements; document and present technical data justifying design choices.
Partner with mechanical design, structures, opto-mechanical, avionics, and manufacturing teams to integrate mechanisms into the spacecraft and close interface requirements.