Thermal Engineer

Cowboy Space Corp.•San Carlos, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure. As a Thermal Engineer you will design, analyze, implement and demonstrate thermal management solutions for our space-based power and compute platform. This role will focus on developing thermal control strategies for high-power laser systems, high-power compute platforms, spacecraft electronics, and structural components operating in extreme space environments. The ideal candidate will have experience with spacecraft thermal design, analysis, testing, and on-orbit demonstration, ensuring reliable performance in Low Earth Orbit.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
3+ years of experience in thermal analysis and design of spacecraft thermal systems.
Proficiency with thermal modeling software such as ANSYS Thermal Desktop.
Strong understanding of thermodynamics and heat transfer fundamentals.
Experience designing, selecting and testing thermal hardware (e.g., radiators, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and heaters).
Demonstrated experience of spaceflight hardware qualification and acceptance testing of flight components, and the margins associated with those.
Familiarity with vacuum chamber thermal testing.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
5+ years of experience designing thermal systems for spacecraft, launch vehicles and/or high-power and heat-flux applications.
Hands-on experience with spacecraft thermal integration and flight testing.
Experience with OpenTD and python scripting.
Strong analytical skills and ability to solve complex thermal design challenges.

Responsibilities

Develop spacecraft thermal management architectures, including active and passive cooling solutions for high-power and high-heat-flux components.
Utilize thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS Thermal Desktop to predict system behavior in space conditions.
After developing component- and system-level models, identify overall optimum solutions that consider overall size, weight and power.
Develop, support and execute thermal cycle and thermal-vacuum tests to demonstrate flight-worthiness of components, subsystems and spacecraft.
Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and build and test engineers to ensure seamless integration of thermal management solutions.
Identify space-grade thermal materials, coatings, and insulation for spacecraft structures.
Conduct failure mode analysis and implement redundancy in thermal control systems.
Work with optics, avionics, and propulsion teams to address thermal constraints in system design.