Mechanical Engineer, Rotary Actuators for Space Solar

Starpath; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Holidays

Job summary

Starpath is hiring a Mechanical Engineer focused on rotary actuators to design, analyze, and qualify mechanisms that deploy and orient solar arrays for space missions. You will work on SADAs, deployment hinges, latches, and gimbals for flight hardware, coordinating with E&E teams and manufacturing.

A BA/BS in mechanical or aerospace engineering and 1+ years of relevant design experience are required. The role is based in Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA, with occasional travel and a commitment to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of mechanism, actuator, or precision mechanical design experience (internship and academic experience applicable).
• Proficiency with 3D CAD and the ability to produce detailed engineering drawings with GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Own rotary actuator designs from concept through detailed design, analysis, build, test, and flight.
• Select and integrate motors, gearheads, bearings, slip rings, and position sensors; size drivetrains for torque, speed, lifetime, and backlash.
• Perform mechanism analysis — torque margin, friction budgets, stiffness, backlash, jitter, life; verify via hand calculations and FEA.
• Specify lubrication, materials, and surface treatments suited to vacuum, thermal cycling, and radiation; manage tribology.
• Design and execute mechanism qualification and acceptance testing — functional, life, vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, torque-margin testing.
• Partner with electrical, controls, and avionics teams on motor drive electronics, feedback sensing, and closed-loop control.
• Work with manufacturing to design for assembly, alignment, and rate production of precision rotating hardware.
• Push back on unnecessary complexity — simplify mechanisms, reduce part count, and cut overhead where not valuable.

Skills

Mechanical design

GD&T

3D CAD

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

GD&T drawings

Job description

Starpath is hiring a Mechanical Engineer focused on rotary actuators to design, analyze, and qualify mechanisms that deploy and orient solar arrays for space missions. You will work on SADAs, deployment hinges, latches, and gimbals for flight hardware, coordinating with E&E teams and manufacturing.

A BA/BS in mechanical or aerospace engineering and 1+ years of relevant design experience are required. The role is based in Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA, with occasional travel and a commitment to