Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer - Hall Thruster Expert

Astra; Alameda (CA); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health, vision, dental

401K

Lunch & snacks

Disability accommodation

Job summary

Astra Space Operations, LLC is seeking a Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer to lead hall-effect thruster design, modeling, and testing efforts for spacecraft propulsion. You will work with mechanical, electrical, and systems teams to resolve design challenges and advance propulsion technology.

The role requires a strong plasma physics background, hands-on thruster testing experience, and the ability to guide junior engineers while delivering rigorous technical documentation for internal and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or related field.
• 5+ years in spacecraft propulsion engineering with hands-on electric propulsion hardware experience.
• Complete knowledge of Hall-effect thruster design principles, including discharge chamber design, magnetic circuits, and cathode integration.
• Full understanding of plasma physics, ionized gas dynamics, and electric propulsion practices.
• Hands-on experience planning and executing thruster test campaigns, including performance, plume, and wear testing.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of significant elements of Hall-effect thruster design, including discharge chamber geometry, magnetic circuit layout, cathode integration, and thermal management.
• Conduct system-level trade studies balancing thrust, efficiency, Isp, mass, power, and lifetime for LEO and GEO applications.
• Develop, apply, and maintain analytical and numerical models to predict thruster performance.
• Plan and execute thruster test campaigns and correlate results with models to choose the best course of action.
• Collaborate with spacecraft systems engineers to define interfaces and verify requirements.
• Evaluate advanced concepts and implement design improvements to enhance performance and manufacturability.
• Provide guidance to junior engineers and contribute to peer reviews and technical reports.

Skills

Hall-effect thruster design principles

Discharge chamber design

Magnetic circuits

Cathode integration

Plasma physics

Ionized gas dynamics

Electric propulsion practices

Thruster test campaigns

Modeling & simulation

System integration

Written technical reports

Guidance to junior engineers

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics

Tools

COMSOL

ANSYS

SPICE

MATLAB/Simulink

PIC codes

Job description

Astra Space Operations, LLC is seeking a Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer to lead hall-effect thruster design, modeling, and testing efforts for spacecraft propulsion. You will work with mechanical, electrical, and systems teams to resolve design challenges and advance propulsion technology.

The role requires a strong plasma physics background, hands-on thruster testing experience, and the ability to guide junior engineers while delivering rigorous technical documentation for internal and