Aerospace Mechanical Engineer — Ground Systems, Launch Ops

Astra; San Francisco (CA); On-site; CAD 141,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Astra is seeking a Ground Systems design engineer to design and build ground support equipment for rocket testing and launch operations. You’ll focus on mechanical and fluid systems—from propellant loading to fire suppression—and combine hands-on hardware design with process definition to deliver reliable, mobile ground support equipment.

You will design mechanical and fluid systems using CAD (NX preferred), create P&IDs, define startup and emergency procedures, and collaborate with propulsion,

Qualifications

• 2+ years’ experience in mechanical/structural design.
• Experience with fabrication, post weld heat treatment, and machining.
• Ability to analyze welded joints with hand-calcs and FEA per AWS or equivalent.
• Experience with CAD and PLM tools, especially with large shared assemblies.
• Owns projects from start to finish with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical and fluid systems using CAD (NX preferred).
• Create and maintain P&IDs and operational flow diagrams.
• Define procedures for startup, shutdown, and emergency operations.
• Perform structural analysis for sizing and validation.
• Support system build, integration, and field testing.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, and operations teams.
• Improve system performance and maintainability over time.

Skills

Mechanical design

Structural design

CAD

FEA

P&IDs

PLM software

Project ownership

Team collaboration

Startup environment

Tools

NX CAD

PLM software

FEM/FEA tools

Job description

Astra is seeking a Ground Systems design engineer to design and build ground support equipment for rocket testing and launch operations. You’ll focus on mechanical and fluid systems—from propellant loading to fire suppression—and combine hands-on hardware design with process definition to deliver reliable, mobile ground support equipment.

You will design mechanical and fluid systems using CAD (NX preferred), create P&IDs, define startup and emergency procedures, and collaborate with propulsion,