Senior Spacecraft Structural Engineer

Astro Digital; Littleton (CO); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k matching

Floating holidays (10)

Sick days (5)

PTO 15 days

Job summary

Astro Digital seeks a Senior Spacecraft Structural Engineer to lead static/dynamic structural analysis across our spacecraft buses. You will build FEMs, interpret launch vehicle environments, and design vibration test plans with notched spectra. Experience leading spacecraft-level testing is required.

The role requires deep NASTRAN expertise, FEMAP familiarity, and the ability to mentor junior engineers. Occasional travel to test facilities is expected.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field.
• 7-20 years of experience as a stress analyst/structural engineer in aerospace.
• Proficiency building FEA models for static and dynamic analysis of spacecraft.
• Comfort executing NASTRAN solutions.
• Experience planning and executing structural vibration testing.
• Self-motivated with desire to learn and teach others.
• Willingness to travel ~3 times/year to test facilities.
• Strong written, verbal, and virtual communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform static and dynamic structural analysis of all Astro Digital bus classes.
• Build and manage finite element models for spacecraft structures.
• Interpret LV environments to design vibration test plans with notched spectra.
• Lead vibration testing at spacecraft level and develop test programs.
• Mentor less experienced engineers in analysis methodologies.

Skills

BS in Mechanical Engineering / Aerosp.

7-20 years experience

FEA modeling

NASTRAN proficiency

structural vibration testing

teach junior engineers

communication skills

travel ~3x/year

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

MS in engineering structures (preferred)

Tools

FEMAP

Solidworks

Onshape

Job description

Astro Digital designs, builds, and operates a diverse range of small satellite systems supporting space-based turnkey missions for several business applications, including earth observation, communications, in-orbit demonstrations, risk reduction, science, and exploration. Astro Digital is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with roughly 100 employees and infrastructure around the globe.

Position Summary

The Senior Spacecraft Structural Engineer is responsible for static and dynamic structural analysis of all classes of Astro Digital bus. As Astro Digital’s mechanical analysis team grows, we are seeking senior-level experience to bolster core competencies and assist in shepherding less experienced engineers.

The ideal candidate is a meticulous, self-motivated mechanical engineer with deep experience in structural analysis of space structures. He or she would be comfortable interpreting launch vehicle (LV) environments to design spacecraft vibration test plans with notched spectra, building finite element models of spacecraft in FEMAP, performing stress analysis for all launch vehicle loads via NASTRAN, performing bolt margin analyses, and creating reduced FEA models for coupled loads analysis (CLA) by the launch provider. The ideal candidate also has vibration testing experience and the confidence to lead such testing at the spacecraft level.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field
• 7-20 years of experience as a stress analyst/structural engineer in the aerospace field
• Proficiency building FEA models for static and dynamic analysis of spacecraft and subsystems
• Comfort executing NASTRAN solutions
• Experience planning and executing structural vibration testing
• Self-motivated work ethic with a desire to learn new aspects of structural analysis and mechanical testing
• Willingness and ability to teach less experienced engineers analysis methodology
• Good written, verbal, and virtual communication skills
• Willingness to travel ~3 times/year to test facilities

Preferred Qualifications

• An MS in engineering structures, solid mechanics, stress analysis, or related field is strongly preferred
• Proficiency with FEMAP or similar pre/post processor
• Ability to create reduced FEA (Craig Bampton) models per LV provider’s requirements for CLA analysis
• Comfort interacting with CAD systems (Solidworks, Onshape, etc) to create structural models
• Familiarity with stress analysis for acoustic and shock environments
• Experience analyzing composite structures
• Familiarity with standards such as NASA-STD-7000 (GEVS), NASA-STD-5001, NASA-STD-5017, NASA-STD-5020, SMC-S-016, AIAA-S-114
• Familiarity with SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare requirements
• Possesses a solid understanding of thermal environments and effects

Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance options, 401k matching, 10 floating holidays, 5 sick days, and 3 weeks (15 days) of PTO per year.

This position requires access to export-controlled commodities, technical data, technology, software, and services. U.S. citizenship, U.S. legal permanent resident status, or protected person status under 22 CFR §120.15 and 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3) is required.

Job Type: Full Time

Salary Range: $135k - 180k annually depending on experience level

Location: Hybrid (minimum 1-2 days/wk onsite) in Littleton, CO