Senior Thermal Engineer, Space Payloads & Constellations

Blue Origin LLC; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 157,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Paid time off

Company-paid holidays

Job summary

Blue Origin seeks a Senior Thermal Engineer to lead thermal design and analysis for satellite payloads and in-space constellation solutions. You will develop comprehensive thermal models and drive interfaces across payload, mechanical, avionics, and power subsystems to ensure reliable mission performance.

You will define thermal requirements, margins, and verification plans, tailoring architecture for orbit, beta angle, and payload variants while guiding manufacturing and testing strategies for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead thermal design & analysis for satellite-based, high‑power payloads and associated power electronics.
• Develop detailed thermal models using industry tools across conduction, radiation, and convection regimes.
• Define and manage thermal interfaces across payload subsystems including radiators and heat pipes.
• Perform transient and steady‑state analyses for mission profiles and environmental conditions.
• Collaborate with payload, mechanical, power, and systems engineering to integrate thermal constraints.
• Establish thermal requirements, margins, and verification plans for reliability and lifetime goals.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability and cost considerations for thermal hardware at scale.

Skills

Thermal engineering

Space systems

Thermal modeling

Flight hardware

Vacuum/Radiation

Clearance eligible

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical/aerospace/physics

Tools

Thermal Desktop

SINDA/FLUINT

ANSYS Icepak

Thermal modeling tools

Job description

Blue Origin seeks a Senior Thermal Engineer to lead thermal design and analysis for satellite payloads and in-space constellation solutions. You will develop comprehensive thermal models and drive interfaces across payload, mechanical, avionics, and power subsystems to ensure reliable mission performance.

You will define thermal requirements, margins, and verification plans, tailoring architecture for orbit, beta angle, and payload variants while guiding manufacturing and testing strategies for