Spacecraft Thermal Engineer III
About The Position
This role is part of Blue Origin’s Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Moon lunar landers and related products to build sustainable infrastructure for transporting crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface. The Spacecraft Thermal Engineer develops spacecraft thermal systems, performs thermal modeling and analysis, and supports thermal hardware design, testing, procurement, and spacecraft assembly, integration, and test activities. The work includes defining thermal system architectures, sizing components, evaluating materials and subsystem hardware, and using hand calculations and vehicle-level models to assess performance. The engineer analyzes spacecraft thermal behavior across ground operations, thermal vacuum testing, launch, Earth orbit, and beyond-Earth-orbit environments, and maintains system analysis documentation. The role also provides engineering leadership and support for TVAC test development and for thermal hardware documentation, procurement, planning, and operations.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science 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, earn trust, and maintain positive and 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
- Master of Science degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
- Experience leading the design, drawing release, fabrication and/or procurement, and installation of Multi-Layer Insulation blankets, film heaters, thermal interface materials, and temperature sensors.
- 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.
- Ability to perform trade studies relating to selection of material and subsystem hardware.
- Ability to perform hand calculations to screen concepts without detailed modeling and to sanity-check finite element model results.
- Ability to develop vehicle-level thermal models using SINDA/FLUINT with Thermal Desktop.
- Ability to provide thermal engineering support for development of TVAC test procedures, scripts, and installation designs.
- Ability to provide thermal engineering support for thermal hardware design, documentation, procurement, planning, and spacecraft assembly, integration, and test activities.
- Ability to support existing and developing thermal data analytics architecture, such as GitLab or similar.
- 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 of these areas: thermal vacuum test planning and execution; spacecraft/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; spacecraft thermal system on-orbit operations support.
Responsibilities
- Drive development of thermal systems, including system architecture definition, thermal system modeling, component sizing, and design.
- Perform trade studies to support selection of materials and subsystem hardware.
- Perform hand calculations to screen concepts and sanity-check finite element and finite 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 in ground operations, TVAC testing, launch, Earth orbit, and beyond-Earth-orbit environments.
- Provide thermal engineering leadership and support for development of 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 efforts.
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
- Up to four weeks of paid time off 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 company discretion; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
