Mechanical Engineer: Deployable Solar Array Structures

Cowboy Space Corp.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Relocation assistance

Daily lunch in the office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Mechanical Engineer – Solar Array Deployable Structures to own the deployment mechanism for a very large solar array.

You will lead from concept through ground testing and on-orbit deployment, coordinating with structures, GN&C, power, avionics, propulsion, and software teams. The role requires hands-on experience with deployable mechanisms, precision structures, and flight-worthiness testing in a fast-paced hardware environment.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years designing and analyzing deployable mechanisms or precision hardware in aerospace or high-performance environments.
• Strong fundamentals in kinematics, actuation, springs, motors, bearings, latches and deployment reliability.
• Solid structural fundamentals: stiffness, buckling, stability, and dynamics of slender structures.
• Hands-on experience building and testing mechanisms including deployment testing.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build and test with integration and test exposure.
• Proficiency with CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks) and fast hardware development environments.

Responsibilities

• Own deployable structure mechanism design from concept to flight, including actuation, deployment sequencing, latching, and stowage.
• Analyze deployment kinematics, actuation, synchronization, and end-of-travel latching; quantify reliability and margins.
• Design details: bearings, guides, drives, dampers, release devices with space-grade lubrication.
• Perform structural analysis of deployed and stowed structures for stiffness, buckling, and thermal distortion.
• Interface the solar array with supporting hardware to balance stiffness and loads.
• Build and operate ground testbeds and gravity-offload deployment rigs for large structures.
• Plan and execute test campaigns: life/cycle, static/modal, vibration, thermal-vacuum, qualification.
• Drive design-for-manufacturing and work with suppliers for scalable production.
• Create and maintain drawings, interface control documents, analyses, test procedures, and release records.
• Diagnose and resolve anomalies during integration and test with root-cause analysis.
• Collaborate with structures, GN&C, power, avionics, propulsion, and software teams for integrated design.
• Maintain fast design cycles, hardware builds, and test campaigns to accelerate schedule.

Skills

Deployable mechanism design

Deployment reliability

Kinematics and actuation

Structural dynamics

Ground testbeds and dev rigs

Fast-paced hardware development

Collaboration across teams

Education

BS or MS in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Mechanical Engineer – Solar Array Deployable Structures to own the deployment mechanism for a very large solar array.

You will lead from concept through ground testing and on-orbit deployment, coordinating with structures, GN&C, power, avionics, propulsion, and software teams. The role requires hands-on experience with deployable mechanisms, precision structures, and flight-worthiness testing in a fast-paced hardware environment.