Senior Spacecraft Thermal Engineer

Aerospacelab; Mont-Saint-Guibert; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Aerospacelab is seeking a Spacecraft Thermal Engineer to own the thermal architecture of its satellites from concept through qualification and in-orbit operations. You will define thermal control strategies, collaborate with system engineering, and drive automation of the thermal analysis workflow across the growing satellite portfolio.

The role requires leading the thermal design of satellites or subsystems, strong experience in spacecraft thermal analysis, and fluency in English.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• Fluency in English and strong communication skills.
• Excellent collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the thermal architecture definition and sizing of the thermal control subsystem at satellite level.
• Develop and maintain satellite-level geometrical and mathematical thermal models.
• Define thermal test requirements and lead or support thermal balance and thermal vacuum campaigns.
• Correlate thermal models with test and in-flight data; feed lessons learned into future design.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote best practices across projects.

Job description

About Aerospacelab

Our mission is supported by an ambitious vertically integrated approach: design & manufacture of small satellites combined with development of earth observation services.

Since its creation in 2018, the company has already grown substantially. Our team gathers more than 25 engineering expertise, from hardware design to software development & data science.

In 2026, Aerospacelab counts offices in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), Toulouse (France), Lausanne (Switzerland) and US West Coast with more than 500 full-time employees, with the ambition to position itself as the European leader in small satellites.

Role overview

As a Spacecraft Thermal Engineer atAerospacelab, you will own the thermal architecture of our satellites fromearly mission concept through qualification, launch, and in-orbit operations.You will define thermal control strategies for spacecraft from launch and LEOPthrough nominal operations, safe mode, and end of life.

You will work closely with systemengineers, mechanical designers, structural engineers, payload teams, and theAIT department. As a senior member of the thermal discipline, you will alsoshape our thermal methodologies, mentor engineers, and drive the automation ofthe thermal analysis workflow across our growing satellite portfolio.

Keyactivities

• Lead the thermal architecturedefinition and sizing of the thermal control subsystem at satellite level
• Develop, maintain, and ownsatellite-level geometrical and mathematical thermal models
• Define thermal testrequirements, and lead or support thermal balance and thermal vacuum campaignsat unit, subsystem, and satellite level, from test prediction to post-testanalysis.
• Correlate thermal models usingtest and in-flight telemetry data, and feed lessons learned back into thedesign of future satellites.
• Provide thermal recommendationsto hardware, payload, and mechanical teams during design trade-offs, and reviewsupplier thermal data and models.
• Prepare technical documentation(thermal design definition, analysis reports, test specifications, testreports, correlation reports) and represent the thermal discipline at designreviews.
• Represent the thermaldiscipline with suppliers, customers, and partners during key project phases.
• Mentor junior thermal engineersand promote best practices, modelling standards, and verification approachesacross projects.
• Drive the development ofautomated tools and scripts to streamline the thermal workflow.

Must have

• MSc or PhD in MechanicalEngineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Solid understanding of thespace thermal environment
• Extensive experience inspacecraft thermal design and analysis.
• Extensive hands‑on experiencewith Systema‑Thermica or ESATAN‑TMS.
• Strong knowledge of spacecraftthermal control hardware and its sizing.
• Experience with satellite-levelthermal test campaigns, including test prediction, data processing, and modelcorrelation.
• Familiaritywith relevant standards (ECSS, NASA)
• Proven ability to independentlylead the thermal design of a satellite or subsystem through to qualification.
• Excellent communication skills,team spirit, and a proactive mindset.
• Fluency in English.

Nice to have

• Experiencewith FEM analysis software (e.g., Simcenter)
• Goodknowledge of the ECSS standard
• Abilityto automate tasks using scripting languages like Python