Spacecraft Thermal Engineer III
About The Position
This role is part of Blue Origin’s Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Moon landers and related products. The engineer helps develop thermal systems for reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and sustainable infrastructure for transporting crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface. The role drives thermal system architecture, modeling, component sizing, and design. It includes performing material and hardware trade studies, using hand calculations to screen concepts and verify model results, and developing vehicle-level thermal models with SINDA/FLUINT and Thermal Desktop. The engineer performs steady-state and transient thermal analyses and tracks system performance through ground operations, thermal vacuum testing, launch, and spaceflight environments. The engineer also provides technical leadership and support for thermal vacuum test procedures, scripts, and installation designs, as well as thermal hardware design, documentation, procurement, planning, and spacecraft assembly, integration, and test operations.
Requirements
- Minimum B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
- Solid understanding of thermal physics fundamentals.
- At least 7 years of relevant experience in design, analysis, and testing of spacecraft thermal systems.
- Experience in thermal analysis, including model validation and test correlation.
- Ability to lead projects and teams and to build positive, professional relationships.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
Nice To Haves
- M.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
- Hands-on experience with spacecraft thermal hardware installation processes.
- Experience solving a variety of thermal problems, demonstrating breadth in analysis application.
- Proficiency in one or more programming languages, such as Python or C/C++.
- Proficiency in one or more CAD and PLM software packages; CREO/Windchill preferred.
- Experience managing engineering efforts against cost and schedule constraints.
- Experience and ability to work independently on rapid development programs.
- Depth of experience in one or more areas: thermal vacuum test planning and execution; spacecraft or payload thermal analysis; active or passive thermal control systems; spacecraft thermal hardware testing; thermal hardware such as radiators, heaters, thermostats, pumps, valves, sensors, heat pipes, ablative materials, sublimators, and/or phase change materials; thermal design of mechanical ground support equipment; or spacecraft thermal system on-orbit operations support.
- Ability to perform material and subsystem hardware trade studies, hand calculations to screen concepts and sanity-check model results, and vehicle-level thermal modeling using SINDA/FLUINT with Thermal Desktop.
- Ability to support development of TVAC test procedures, scripts, and installation designs, and thermal hardware design, documentation, procurement, planning, and spacecraft AI&T operations.
Responsibilities
- Drive development of thermal systems, including system architecture definition, thermal system modeling, component sizing, and design.
- Perform trade studies for selecting materials and subsystem hardware.
- Perform hand calculations to screen concepts without detailed modeling and to sanity-check finite element and difference model results.
- Develop vehicle-level thermal models using SINDA/FLUINT with Thermal Desktop.
- Develop and maintain system analysis documentation.
- Perform steady-state and transient thermal analysis of spacecraft thermal systems and track system performance during ground operations, TVAC testing, launch, Earth orbit, and beyond-Earth-orbit environments.
- Provide thermal engineering leadership and support for developing thermal vacuum (TVAC) test procedures, scripts, and installation designs.
- Provide thermal engineering leadership and support for thermal hardware design, documentation, procurement, planning, and procedural and operational support of spacecraft assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) efforts.
- Support existing and developing thermal data analytics architecture, such as GitLab or similar.
- Lead design, drawing release, fabrication and/or procurement, and installation of thermal hardware such as MLI blankets, film heaters, thermal interface materials, and temperature sensors.
- Manage engineering efforts against cost and schedule constraints and work independently on rapid development programs.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Basic and supplemental life insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Short- and long-term disability
- 401(k) with company match of up to 5%
- Education Support Program
- Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week
- Paid time off of up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
- Up to 14 company-paid holidays
- Depending on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
