Electric Propulsion Engineer — RF Ion Thruster Designer

NewOrbit Space Ltd; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Visa sponsorship

Relocation support

Equity

Private health insurance

Job summary

NewOrbit Space Ltd is seeking an Electric Propulsion Engineer to own the design and testing of RF gridded ion thrusters for the NEO-1 program. You will calculate, design, build and test propulsion units in our vacuum facilities, feeding insights into iterative flight configurations.

You will plan test campaigns, operate test rigs, and collaborate with mechanical, electrical and control engineers to push performance and reliability for spaceflight applications. Hybrid work available.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of RF gridded ion thrusters, including RF plasma generation, ion optics and neutralisation.
• Hands-on electric propulsion testing, ideally with RF generators, high-voltage power supplies and thrust balances.
• Experience with vacuum systems (pumps, gauges, valves), power supplies, fluid management and data acquisition.
• Solid grounding in plasma physics, modelling, diagnostics and ionisation processes.
• Willingness to design, build and test your own hardware, and to work extended hours on-site.

Responsibilities

• Own the design of our RF gridded ion thruster and its performance calculations, from concept to flight configuration.
• Iterate rapidly to support NEO-1 and customer thruster deliveries.
• Work with mechanical, electrical and control engineers on each new iteration of the ion propulsion system.
• Design and build the test rigs and equipment for propulsion testing.
• Assemble and operate test hardware, electronics and vacuum facilities.
• Run electric propulsion tests on your own designs and analyse the results.
• Plan and run the test campaigns for your own designs.
• Turn test results into design changes, then re-test.
• Document every test configuration and result for traceability.

Skills

RF ion thrusters

RF plasma

Ion optics

Vacuum systems

Data acquisition

Plasma physics

Python

MATLAB

Job description

NewOrbit Space Ltd is seeking an Electric Propulsion Engineer to own the design and testing of RF gridded ion thrusters for the NEO-1 program. You will calculate, design, build and test propulsion units in our vacuum facilities, feeding insights into iterative flight configurations.

You will plan test campaigns, operate test rigs, and collaborate with mechanical, electrical and control engineers to push performance and reliability for spaceflight applications. Hybrid work available.