Thermal Engineer (m/f/d)

ATMOS Space Cargo; Verwaltungsverband Rheinmünster-Lichtenau; Sur place; EUR 60 000 - 90 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

ATMOS Space Cargo GmbH seeks a Thermal Engineer to support the thermal design, analysis, and verification of our re-entry and return vehicle technologies. You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure spacecraft hardware performs reliably across mission phases, from launch to landing.

Responsibilities include developing thermal models, planning test campaigns, designing pumped fluid loops, selecting COTS fans, and coordinating with propulsion, mechanical, and AIT teams.

Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Thermal Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of professional experience in thermal control systems for complex spacecraft or related aerospace environments.
• Good knowledge of Orbital Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Fluid Dynamics.
• Solid understanding of heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation, and transient behaviour.
• Experience with thermal modelling or simulation tools (listed above).

Responsabilités

• Develop and maintain thermal models for spacecraft-level architecture (active and passive thermal control for avionics and payloads).
• Perform thermal modelling across mission phases (launch, orbit, de-orbit, re-entry, landing, ground handling).
• Design, analyze and integrate pumped fluid loops for heat collection and rejection in extreme environments.
• Select and optimize COTS fans to improve cooling while reducing acoustics and meeting outgassing standards.
• Conduct transient thermal analysis of spacecraft thrusters and coordinate with propulsion, mechanical and systems teams.
• Define and manage flight hardware interfaces (pipes, fittings, valves, MLI, heaters, sensors, harness routing, thermal fillers).
• Plan thermal test campaigns (ACTS, TVAC, thermal balance, cycling) at system and sub-system level.
• Collaborate with mechanical, systems, avionics, and AIT teams to ensure alignment across subsystems.
• Prepare and maintain thermal engineering documentation (analyses, test procedures, verification plans).

Connaissances

Thermal design

Thermal modeling

Transient analysis

Heat transfer

Orbital mechanics

Outgassing standards

Formation

Master's degree in Aerospace

Thermal Engineering specialization

Outils

Simcenter 3D

TaiTherm

SimLab Thermal

Simulink

Matlab

Altair Flow Simulator

Description du poste

Job Description
ATMOS Space Cargo is seeking a Thermal Engineer (m/f/d) to support the thermal design, analysis, and verification of our re-entry and return vehicle technologies. In this role, you will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure our spacecraft hardware performs reliably across mission phases, from launch and orbit operations to re-entry and landing.

• You will develop and maintain thermal models for spacecraft level thermal architecture, including active and passive thermal control design for avionic components and payloads.
  
• You will perform thermal modeling across mission phases, including launch, orbit operations, de-orbit, re-entry, landing, and ground handling.
  
• You will design, analyze, and integrate pumped fluid loops to manage heat collection and rejection for spacecraft survival in extreme orbital environments.
  
• You will select and optimize COTS fans to maximize forced-air cooling efficiency while minimizing acoustic signatures and meeting outgassing standards for microgravity locker environments.
  
• You will perform transient thermal analysis of spacecraft thrusters, including heat soak-back assessment, propulsion thermal modeling, and cross-functional coordination with propulsion, mechanical, and systems engineering teams.
  
• You will define and manage flight hardware interfaces during integration, including pipes, fittings, valves, MLI, heaters, sensors, harness routing, thermal fillers, and related components.
  
• You will design and plan thermal test campaigns, including Active Thermal Control System (ACTS), TVAC, thermal balance, and thermal cycling, at system and sub-system level.
  
• You will work closely with mechanical, systems, avionics, and AIT teams to ensure technical alignment across subsystems and interfaces.
  
• You will prepare and maintain thermal engineering documentation, including analysis reports, test procedures, verification plans, and review inputs.
  

Job Description
ATMOS Space Cargo is seeking a Thermal Engineer (m/f/d) to support the thermal design, analysis, and verification of our re-entry and return vehicle technologies. In this role, you will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure our spacecraft hardware performs reliably across mission phases, from launch and orbit operations to re-entry and landing.

Your tasks

• You will develop and maintain thermal models for spacecraft level thermal architecture, including active and passive thermal control design for avionic components and payloads.
  
• You will perform thermal modeling across mission phases, including launch, orbit operations, de-orbit, re-entry, landing, and ground handling.
  
• You will design, analyze, and integrate pumped fluid loops to manage heat collection and rejection for spacecraft survival in extreme orbital environments.
  
• You will select and optimize COTS fans to maximize forced-air cooling efficiency while minimizing acoustic signatures and meeting outgassing standards for microgravity locker environments.
  
• You will perform transient thermal analysis of spacecraft thrusters, including heat soak-back assessment, propulsion thermal modeling, and cross-functional coordination with propulsion, mechanical, and systems engineering teams.
  
• You will define and manage flight hardware interfaces during integration, including pipes, fittings, valves, MLI, heaters, sensors, harness routing, thermal fillers, and related components.
  
• You will design and plan thermal test campaigns, including Active Thermal Control System (ACTS), TVAC, thermal balance, and thermal cycling, at system and sub-system level.
  
• You will work closely with mechanical, systems, avionics, and AIT teams to ensure technical alignment across subsystems and interfaces.
  
• You will prepare and maintain thermal engineering documentation, including analysis reports, test procedures, verification plans, and review inputs.
  

Requirements

• Masters Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Thermal Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
  
• At least 3 years of professional experience in thermal control systems for complex spacecraft, or environmental testing for aerospace, space systems, or similar complex engineering systems.
  
• Good knowledge of Orbital Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Fluid Dynamics.
  
• Good understanding of heat transfer principles, including conduction, convection, radiation, and transient thermal behaviour.
  
• Experience with thermal modelling or simulation tools such as Simcenter 3D, TaiTherm, SimLab Thermal, Simulink, Matlab, Altair Flow Simulator.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with spacecraft, satellites, re-entry vehicles, thermal protection systems, or high-temperature environments.
  
• Experience supporting thermal tests, TVAC campaigns, or hardware validation activities.
  
• Knowledge of ECSS standards, aerospace verification practices, Python, MATLAB, or similar analysis tools.