Launch Engineer, Dragon: Hands-On Spaceflight Ops

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Town of Florida (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is hiring a Launch Engineer for the Dragon Integration team. You will apply technical expertise to develop solutions advancing human spaceflight operations and vehicle reusability, maintaining Dragon spacecraft and ground support equipment for crew and cargo transport to LEO.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, testing, and collaboration with engineering teams; strong background in structures, fluids, or test backgrounds is preferred, with readiness for high-urgency work at launch sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, electrical engineering or related field.
• 1+ years of experience in hardware development, vehicle integration or refurbishment, manufacturing, or related operations (internship accepted).

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and improve procedures for integration, testing, and operation of Dragon flight hardware and GSE.
• Lead day-to-day execution of launch site and vehicle processing activities for flight readiness.
• Evaluate flight vehicle requirements and define work scope for capsule maintenance and processing campaigns.
• Manage work orders, drive non-conformances to resolution, and implement system improvements.
• Investigate and resolve vehicle, GSE, and test equipment failures; implement corrective actions.
• Design and develop hardware and software tools to enable processing and testing operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and communicate status during reviews and updates.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Aerospace engineering

Electrical engineering

3D CAD NX

DFMA

FEA

CFD

Machining

Autonomous problem solving

Hands-on hardware

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering

Tools

NX CAD

3D printing

GSE tooling

Job description

SpaceX is hiring a Launch Engineer for the Dragon Integration team. You will apply technical expertise to develop solutions advancing human spaceflight operations and vehicle reusability, maintaining Dragon spacecraft and ground support equipment for crew and cargo transport to LEO.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, testing, and collaboration with engineering teams; strong background in structures, fluids, or test backgrounds is preferred, with readiness for high-urgency work at launch sites.