Lunar Structures Lead: End-to-End Habitat Design

Socket.dev; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in compensation package

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Generous PTO and vacation policy

Parental leave

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach, California is seeking a Senior Structures Engineer, Lunar to help design and validate the lunar habitat structures, pressure vessels, and related hardware for our Haven-to-lunar ecosystem. You will own end-to-end development, collaborate with NASA interfaces, and drive testing and verification from concept through build, with exposure to heavy analytical and manufacturing processes.

You will be integral to establishing design standards for the lunar program, work with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in structural design of aerospace pressurized or human-rated hardware, with direct ownership from design through hardware delivery.
• 5+ years of experience with CAD and FEA software packages (NX or equivalent) and experience with GD&T implementation and analysis (ASME Y14.5).
• Demonstrated experience owning a structural hardware item end-to-end (design, build, and test), not solely in an analysis capacity.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the accountable owner (Responsible Engineer) for end-to-end lunar engineering projects such as habitation modules, airlocks, nodes, and pallets.
• Work with lunar subject matter experts and systems architects to bring lunar concepts to reality that mesh with Vast’s larger lunar ecosystem and NASA’s Moon Base architecture.
• Own the design and CAD (NX or equivalent) development of primary and secondary structures for lunar ecosystem.
• Develop understanding of static and dynamic loads, vibrations, thermal, and other environmental considerations unique to the lunar surface to drive design decisions.
• Define structural requirements, design loads, and safety margins for a human-rated pressurized structure operating in the lunar environment.
• Perform mechanical design and analysis, develop manufacturing drawings, following hardware through the entire process from concept to build.
• Lead trades and own interfaces with subsystems, including pressure vessel architecture, hatch/seal mechanisms, and material selection for lunar exposure conditions.
• Work with fabricators and technicians to improve designs, develop processes, and resolve issues.
• Define and execute test and verification plans, including structural, pressure, and hatch/seal performance testing.
• Support hardware bring-up, checkout, and anomaly resolution during build and test.
• Represent the subsystem at design reviews, coordinating with Life Support (ECLSS), Thermal, Power, and Avionics teams on interface requirements.
• Help establish design standards and practices for the Lunar program as its first structures hire.

Skills

Structural design

End-to-end ownership

CAD/FEA (NX, GD&T)

NASA/spacecraft standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX CAD/FEA

Femap/Nastran/Abaqus

Job description

Vast in Long Beach, California is seeking a Senior Structures Engineer, Lunar to help design and validate the lunar habitat structures, pressure vessels, and related hardware for our Haven-to-lunar ecosystem. You will own end-to-end development, collaborate with NASA interfaces, and drive testing and verification from concept through build, with exposure to heavy analytical and manufacturing processes.

You will be integral to establishing design standards for the lunar program, work with