Solar Array Mechanisms Engineer for Space Stations

Vast; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company equity

Medical, dental, and vision

Paid time off

Free meals and snacks

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach is seeking a Solar Array Engineer, Mechanical, to design, analyze, build and test mechanisms for solar array deployment and articulation on human-rated space stations. You will work with power systems, structures, GN&C teams to meet deployment stiffness and torque margins.

We value hands-on experience with bearings, gears, motors, springs, and NASA standards; travel up to 50% and willingness to work flexible hours. This role is based in our Long Beach facility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related discipline.
• 5–10 years designing, building, and testing electromechanical systems, preferably spacecraft mechanisms.
• Experience with bearings, gears, motors, springs, fasteners, and load paths.
• Ability to defend a torque/force budget from first principles.
• Experience with environmental testing of mechanical hardware.
• Hands-on experience assembling or integrating hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze solar array deployment mechanisms (hinges, latches, dampers).
• Design and analyze solar array articulation (gimbals, drive systems).
• Maintain torque budgets for deployment and articulation.
• Select bearings, lubricants, motors, gearboxes, encoders for space environment.
• Plan qualification tests to demonstrate life margin.
• Interface with structures, thermal, GN&C, and power teams.
• Support environmental test campaigns per SMC-S-016.
• Participate in design reviews and NASA deliverables.

Skills

Mechanism design

Bearings & gears

Torque budget

Environmental testing

Hands-on build

NASA-STD-5017B familiarity

CAD NX

MATLAB/Python

Gimbals & deployable mechanisms

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Tools

NX CAD

MATLAB

Python

FEA software

Job description

Vast in Long Beach is seeking a Solar Array Engineer, Mechanical, to design, analyze, build and test mechanisms for solar array deployment and articulation on human-rated space stations. You will work with power systems, structures, GN&C teams to meet deployment stiffness and torque margins.

We value hands-on experience with bearings, gears, motors, springs, and NASA standards; travel up to 50% and willingness to work flexible hours. This role is based in our Long Beach facility.