Lead Spacecraft Thermal Design Engineer

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 295,000; Full time

Job summary

K2 Space seeks an experienced spacecraft thermal engineer to drive detailed thermal design and analysis for satellite subsystems. You will develop thermal models, run tests, and work with cross-disciplinary teams to optimize thermal control hardware for performance and reliability.

You will use Thermal Desktop, Ansys, and Python for automation, contributing to in-orbit operations and test campaigns, including TVAC and thermal cycling.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience with satellite thermal design and analysis.
• Experience with radiative and conductive thermal modeling of spacecraft systems using Thermal Desktop.
• Experience with selection, sizing, and design of thermal control hardware including heat pipes, heaters, stickers, OSR, thermal straps, thermal paints, tapes, MLI, TEC.
• Experience with thermal cycling and thermal vacuum testing including predictions, setup, instrumentation and thermal model correlation.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Mechanical teams to develop passive and active thermal control hardware for the spacecraft including radiators, heaters, heat pipes, and surface coating
• Partner with Avionics teams to develop thermal models and thermal tests for electronic assemblies
• Work with the GNC teams to define and thermally analyze nominal and contingency cases for in-orbit operations of the spacecraft
• Develop and maintainthermal models for spacecraft and sub-components using Thermal Desktop and Ansys
• Interface with vendors and launcher providers to understand their design and translate it into thermal-related requirements
• Automate data analysis to support architectural trades effectively
• Set up and execute thermal testing ranging from development to qualification

Skills

Satellite thermal design

Thermal modeling

Thermal Desktop

Ansys IcePak

Python automation

Tools

Thermal Desktop

Ansys IcePak

Python

MATLAB

Job description

K2 Space seeks an experienced spacecraft thermal engineer to drive detailed thermal design and analysis for satellite subsystems. You will develop thermal models, run tests, and work with cross-disciplinary teams to optimize thermal control hardware for performance and reliability.

You will use Thermal Desktop, Ansys, and Python for automation, contributing to in-orbit operations and test campaigns, including TVAC and thermal cycling.