Senior Thermal Engineer, AI Satellite Cooling

InvestedintheMission; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer focused on fluids analysis to own conjugate heat-transfer and thermal-fluid analyses for high-performance cooling systems on Starmind satellites. You will model cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels, and manage the 0-D/1-D network that sets flow split, pressure drop, and loop temperature, aligning with hardware and test teams.

You will co-evolve geometry and flow paths with manufacturing and test, drive architecture trades, and automate

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of professional experience in fluids, CFD, or thermal analysis.
• Familiarity with heat-transfer concepts and cooling systems.

Responsibilities

• Own conjugate heat-transfer (CHT) and thermal-fluid analysis of high-performance cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels for STARMIND satellites
• Own the system 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network that sizes and balances the cooling loop: flow split, ΔP budget, loop ΔT, pump operating point
• Drive cooling-loop architecture trades with hardware and vehicle-level thermal teammates
• Co-evolve geometry, materials and processes with hardware owners to find mass producible, efficient thermal solutions
• Predict component and system performance under wide range of flow and thermal conditions
• Own pre-test prediction, test design, and model-test correlation for fluid component and integrated thermal tests
• Automate analysis workflows for re-running trades as designs and boundary conditions change

Skills

Fluids analysis

CFD

Thermal analysis

Python scripting

Heat transfer

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or related engineering

Master’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or related engineering

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS Fluent/CFX

Siemens NX

Icepak

Flotherm

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer focused on fluids analysis to own conjugate heat-transfer and thermal-fluid analyses for high-performance cooling systems on Starmind satellites. You will model cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels, and manage the 0-D/1-D network that sets flow split, pressure drop, and loop temperature, aligning with hardware and test teams.

You will co-evolve geometry and flow paths with manufacturing and test, drive architecture trades, and automate