Senior Mechanical Engineer

Socket.dev; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Lunch in office and stocked kitchen

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own spacecraft hardware from concept through flight, collaborating with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software teams to deliver flight-ready designs.

You will design structures, mechanisms, and thermal systems for space environments and drive rapid prototyping, build, and test cycles to accelerate development, ensuring reliability and manufacturability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience designing mechanical systems for aerospace or high-performance hardware.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build and test.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanics, materials, and thermal systems.
• Proficiency with CAD (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, or similar).
• Experience working in fast-paced, hardware-focused development environments.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical design of spacecraft components and assemblies from concept through production.
• Design and develop structures, mechanisms, and thermal solutions for space environments.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation, drawings, and release processes.
• Perform analysis including FEA, thermal, and tolerance stack-ups to validate designs.
• Drive rapid prototyping, build, and test cycles to accelerate hardware development.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software engineering teams.
• Support integration, environmental testing, and launch readiness activities.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement design improvements.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure high-quality, scalable production.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule in design decisions.

Skills

CAD

Mechanical design

Aerospace hardware

Prototyping

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX/SolidWorks

FEA tools

Job description

About Cowboy Space Corp:

Mission

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation ’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

About the Role

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you will play a key role in designing and building the physical systems that enable our spacecraft to operate reliably in space. You will own critical hardware from concept through flight, working across structures, mechanisms, thermal systems, and packaging to deliver high-performance, flight-ready designs.

This is a hands-on role at the center of hardware development. You will work closely with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software teams to design integrated systems, rapidly prototype, and validate through testing. You’ll be expected to move quickly, iterate often, and take ownership of hardware that directly impacts mission success.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical design of spacecraft components and assemblies from concept through production

• Design and develop structures, mechanisms, and thermal solutions for space environments

• Develop and maintain engineering documentation, drawings, and release processes

• Perform analysis including FEA, thermal, and tolerance stack-ups to validate designs

• Drive rapid prototyping, build, and test cycles to accelerate hardware development

• Collaborate cross-functionally with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software engineering teams

• Support integration, environmental testing, and launch readiness activities

• Troubleshoot hardware issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement design improvements

• Work with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure high-quality, scalable production

• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule in design decisions

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

• 5+ years of experience designing mechanical systems for aerospace or high-performance hardware

• Experience taking hardware from concept through build and test

• Strong fundamentals in mechanics, materials, and thermal systems

• Proficiency with CAD (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, or similar)

• Experience working in fast-paced, hardware-focused development environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing for space environments (thermal, vibration, vacuum)

• Background in spacecraft structures, mechanisms, or thermal systems

• Experience with FEA and/or thermal analysis tools

• Hands‑on experience with prototyping, machining, or test setups

• Experience working at a high‑growth or early‑stage hardware company

• Familiarity with integration, environmental testing, or launch operations

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $150,000 – $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) retirement savings plan

• Paid time off

• 10 paid holidays per calendar year

• Paid parental leave

• Relocation assistance if applicable

• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all‑inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.