Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

Power the future of Space at Star Catcher

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy.

Todays spacecraft must generate all of their own power which caps what they can do and how long they can operate. But what if they could plug into a grid the way buildings do on Earth Instead of cables and outlets Star Catcher is building the technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecrafts existing solar panels when and where they need it.

Be an early member of a team building an entirely new energy infrastructure at scale to power the next frontier.

Star Catcher Industries Inc. located in Jacksonville Florida has an opportunity for a Senior Spacecraft Mechanisims Engineer to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network its orbital power grid. As a subject matter expert (SME) the ideal candidate will bring extensive experience with all phases of the spacecraft mechanism development process including mechanism architecture actuator and drivetrain selection torque margin analysis deployment kinematics life and thermal vacuum testing and flight qualification.

• Own the spacecraft mechanism architecture including hinges booms dampers latches and synchronization hardware.
• Define requirements for hold-down and release mechanisms including release device selection preload sizing and separation shock allocation.
• Lead the design of pointing gimbals and set their actuation range accuracy and resolution requirements.
• Establish torque and force margin practices across worst-case friction thermal and end-of-life conditions and approve margins for flight.
• Direct deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics analysis to verify sequencing rates latch-up and induced loads on the spacecraft.
• Define material bearing and lubricant selection for vacuum compatibility and set handling cleanliness and outgassing controls.
• Own mechanism development qualification and life test campaigns in ambient and thermal vacuum conditions.
• Support fault detection isolation and recovery (FDIR) analysis and implementation of mechanism components.
• Support the systems engineering team in writing detailed requirements for mechanism functionality and the methods for verification.
• Serve as the technical focal point for mechanisms across mechanical design structures opto-mechanical avionics and manufacturing.
• Create technical documentation for proposals design reviews and test reports which demonstrate rigor and expertise for the goal of executing on program deliverables and winning of new programs.
• Mentor engineers and technicians and establish standards for mechanism design analysis processes documentation and review practices for the discipline.

• Bachelors degree in mechanical aerospace or a related engineering field and a minimum of 10 years of experience designing and qualifying spacecraft mechanisms.
• Demonstrated leadership of space systems development including ownership of a mechanism from concept through qualification and flight.
• 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 and their qualification and shock environments.
• Proficiency producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent.
• Experience performing torque and force margin analysis of spacecraft mechanisms per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent.
• Creative problem-solving skills with the capability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges.

• Masters or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or a related field.
• Experience with deployable structures such as booms reflectors or solar arrays and the gravity offload techniques used to test them.
• Multibody dynamics or kinematic simulation of deployment events using Adams Inventor Dynamic Simulation or equivalent.
• 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 effectively communicate and work in a multidisciplinary team setting while prioritizing tasks multiple projects and personnel.
• Ability to identify risks to the mechanism components of a spacecraft and assist in developing mitigation efforts drafting changes to the requirements or documenting requests for waivers.

Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage 401(k) retirement plan life insurance and paid parental leave in addition to other benefits.

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race color religion gender national origin/ethnicity veteran status disability status age sexual orientation gender identity marital status mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen lawful permanent resident of the U.S. protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.