Summer 2027 Internship - Thermal & Manufacturing Engineering

Loft Orbital Solutions • Golden, CO

8d • Onsite

About The Position

Loft Orbital is hiring a Thermal & Manufacturing Engineering Intern to work with its Mission Engineering & Analysis and Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT) teams in Golden, Colorado during Summer 2027. The intern will help improve how thermal interface materials—including gap pads, thermal tapes, and graphite sheets—are selected, prepared, and used in spacecraft assembly. The work spans materials, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing, with hands-on collaboration with AIT technicians and engineers and the opportunity to take work from CAD drawings through physical parts used on satellites.

The intern will help develop and validate a workflow for preparing thermal interface materials. Depending on team priorities, work may include comparing materials and cutting methods, evaluating cut quality and handling, developing a repeatable process from CAD drawings to assembly-ready kits, and documenting standards and inspection procedures. The intern will take a process improvement from initial experiments through validation and documentation, and present findings and recommendations.

This is a full-time, 10–12 week Summer 2027 internship, on-site in Golden, Colorado. Start and end dates will be coordinated based on the intern’s school schedule and team availability. Hourly compensation is $30.00. Loft offers housing or relocation support for interns traveling from outside the local area, as well as daily catered lunches and snacks.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Undergraduate students must be rising juniors or rising seniors.
• Proficiency with SolidWorks or equivalent CAD software and ability to create clear engineering drawings.
• Hands-on fabrication or test experience through projects, research, internships, or shop/lab work.
• Ability to plan structured experiments, record data, and analyze results using Python, Excel, or similar tools.
• Strong written communication skills, including documenting procedures and findings.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a passion for space.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Python scripting.
• Foundational knowledge of heat transfer and thermal principles.
• Awareness of cleanroom practices, electrostatic discharge (ESD), and contamination control.
• Exposure to spaceflight hardware through coursework, research, projects, or internships.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct trials comparing thermal interface materials and cutting methods, including laser cutting, digital knife cutting, and die-cutting.
• Evaluate cut quality, dimensional accuracy, material handling, and contamination risks.
• Develop a repeatable workflow for turning CAD drawings into cut parts and assembly-ready kits.
• Help establish drawing and DXF file conventions, document cutting settings, and define inspection steps.
• Develop approaches for labeling, protective liners, packaging, and handling to simplify assembly.
• Create work instructions and inspection checklists in collaboration with engineering and AIT teams.
• Present findings and recommend materials and processes that balance thermal requirements with practical manufacturing needs.

Benefits

• Housing/relocation support for interns traveling from outside the local area.
• Daily catered lunches and snacks.
• Mentorship and feedback from a mentor, manager, and teammates.
• Hands-on, real-world experience supporting spacecraft engineering and manufacturing.
• Opportunities to collaborate across engineering and AIT teams and learn about other parts of Loft.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern