Staff Electric Propulsion Engineer

At Vast our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing and unlocking a new space economy for government corporate and private customers. Using an incremental hardware-rich and low-cost approach Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demos 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next Haven-1 is expected to become the worlds first commercial space station when it launches followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. Our team is all-in committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity come join us.

Vast is seeking aStaff Electric Propulsion Engineer to own EP system development and integration for a new constellation-ready spacecraft bus a product line designed to scale to hundreds of spacecraft per year.

This will be a full-time exempt position located in ourLong Beachlocation.

About the role:

Youll own the electric propulsion system for a constellation spacecraft bus from thruster selection and qualification through flight integration and on-orbit performance. The EP system handles orbit raising stationkeeping and end-of-life deorbit for every satellite in the constellation. Youll work alongside a small experienced propulsion team thats already making architecture decisions this role adds depth and bandwidth as the program moves from trades into hardware.

The real challenge is production. This isnt a one-off flight system youre building an EP subsystem that scales to hundreds of spacecraft per year. Every design decision needs to balance performance against manufacturability testability and cost at rate. Youll also be the EP systems interface to the rest of the bus coordinating power draw with the power lead thermal dissipation with the thermal lead and disturbance torques with GNC.

Responsibilities:

• Own EP thruster integration acceptance testing and qualification for the spacecraft bus
• Drive thruster selection and procurement evaluate vendor options manage performance requirements oversee delivery
• Own power processing unit (PPU) requirements and development oversight coordinate with the electronics lead on any in-house builds or manage vendor PPU procurement and acceptance
• Design the propellant feed system tanks valves pressure regulation fill/drain provisions and flow control
• Perform thruster performance characterization thrust Isp efficiency mapping across the operating envelope
• Develop thruster lifetime models and predict degradation for mission-duration operation
• Own EP system integration with the spacecraft bus mechanical mounting power interfaces thermal interfaces and propellant routing
• Define EP power profiles and coordinate with the power lead to ensure the bus can support thruster operation across all modes
• Coordinate with thermal on thruster and PPU heat rejection radiator sizing thermal coatings duty cycle constraints
• Coordinate with GNC on thrust vector disturbance torques and momentum impact during EP maneuvers
• Design orbit-raising stationkeeping and deorbit maneuver strategies delta-V budgets burn planning constellation phasing
• Support constellation-scale EP operations fleet maneuver planning propellant management across the manifest
• Plan and execute EP subsystem environmental testing vibration thermal vacuum EMI/EMC
• Design for production the EP system must be assembled tested and integrated at rate as the program scales to hundreds of spacecraft per year

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering Mechanical Engineering Physics or a related technical discipline
• 5 years of electric propulsion development or integration experience
• Hall-effect thruster or ion engine experience performance testing plume characterization lifetime assessment
• Propellant feed system design experience tanks valves flow control for EP systems
• PPU integration experience power conditioning thruster control electronics power interface definition
• EP system-level integration on a flight program mechanical electrical thermal and propellant interfaces
• Understanding of EP mission design low-thrust trajectory optimization orbit-raising strategies stationkeeping budgets
• Experience with EP environmental qualification vibe TVAC and EMI testing of propulsion hardware
• Comfortable working across subsystem boundaries power thermal GNC and structures all intersect with propulsion

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Able to obtain a security clearance
• Experience with high-power EP systems (5kW class thrusters)
• Multi-satellite EP system experience scaling a propulsion design across a constellation build
• Thruster procurement and vendor management experience
• EP plume modeling and spacecraft interaction analysis (sputtering contamination charge exchange)
• Experience with xenon or krypton propellant systems
• Design-for-manufacturing experience optimizing EP assemblies for producibility at rate
• On-orbit EP operations experience commissioning performance trending anomaly investigation

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY