Intern - Thruster Development

StudentJob; Delft; On-site; EUR 10,044 - 13,392; Full time

Job summary

Dawn Aerospace in Delft seeks a highly motivated engineering intern to join the thruster development team. The role focuses on design and development of an electric propulsion thruster, plus supporting hot‑fire testing of experimental rocket thrusters across multiple thrust classes.

You will prototype and conceptually design components, assemble breadboard models, size thrusters, and test against design intent, while collaborating with propulsion engineers to execute test plans and interpret

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a BSc or MSc program in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or a related field.
• Available for a full‑time internship of at least four months.
• Demonstrated hands‑on engineering experience.
• Solid theoretical knowledge of chemical propulsion and familiarity with electric propulsion concepts.
• Experience in technical report writing.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team.
• Strong English communication skills.
• Proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks).

Responsibilities

• Research and design breadboard models to test subcomponents.
• Document findings and results in a technical report.
• Propose improvements to thruster test set‑ups and/or thruster designs.
• Prepare thrusters and test setups for hot‑fire testing.
• Execute hot‑fire tests on different thruster designs and analyse the results.
• Support the thruster development team in day‑to‑day activities.

Skills

Hands-on engineering

English communication

Independent and team work

Education

BSc/MSc in Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering or related

Tools

CAD (SolidWorks)

Job description

Description

We are seeking a highly motivated engineering intern to join our thruster development team. The internship centres around an opportunity to design and development of an electric propulsion thruster and to support hot‑fire testing of experimental rocket thrusters across multiple thrust classes. This internship will require from you to work on prototyping and conceptual design of electric thruster. This includes selecting components, sourcing and ordering parts, assembling a breadboard model, sizing the thruster and testing it to validate against the design intent. Next to that, you will also support hot‑fire test campaigns of chemical thrusters at various stages of maturity, working alongside propulsion engineers to execute tests per established test plans and assist in interpreting the resulting data.

Responsibilities

• Research and design breadboard models to test subcomponents.
• Document findings and results in a technical report.
• Propose improvements to thruster test set‑ups and/or thruster designs.
• Prepare thrusters and test setups for hot‑fire testing.
• Execute hot‑fire tests on different thruster designs and analyse the results.
• Support the thruster development team in day‑to‑day activities.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a BSc or MSc program (or equivalent) in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or a related field.
• Available for a full‑time internship of at least four months.
• Demonstrated hands‑on engineering experience.
• Solid theoretical knowledge of chemical propulsion and familiarity with electric propulsion concepts.
• Experience in technical report writing.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team.
• Strong English communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks).

Desired Experience

• Practical, hands‑on experience with rocket engine development (e.g. through student projects).
• Familiarity with high‑pressure gases, specifically nitrous oxide.
• Familiarity with electronics and breadboard testing.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.