Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

Star Catcher; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy. We seek a Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to design deployment, pointing, and life-testworthy mechanisms for spacecraft and satellites.

The role requires CAD modeling with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor, hands-on hardware experience, and collaboration across engineering teams to meet program requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or related field.
• Minimum three years of experience designing spacecraft mechanisms or similar.
• Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent.
• Hands-on experience in shop, lab, or cleanroom supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing.
• Experience sizing and selecting precision actuators and drivetrains (stepper/brushless DC motors, harmonic drives, gearheads, encoders).
• Experience selecting vacuum-compatible bearings and lubricants, addressing tribology and outgassing in flight mechanism design.
• Experience with hold-down and release devices, including non-explosive actuators or pyrotechnic devices.
• Experience performing torque and force margin analysis of spacecraft mechanisms per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent.
• Creative problem-solving and ability to follow company standards.

Responsibilities

• Design deployment mechanisms (hinges, booms, dampers, latches) from concept to flight drawings in Inventor.
• Develop hold-down and release mechanisms, preload sizing, and separation shock characterization.
• Design pointing gimbals and specify actuation, range, accuracy, and resolution requirements.
• Perform torque and force margin analysis for deployment under worst-case conditions.
• Analyze deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics to verify sequencing and loads.
• Select vacuum-compatible bearings and lubricants, define handling and outgassing controls.
• Plan mechanism development, qualification, and life tests in ambient and thermal vacuum.
• Create test fixtures and gravity offload setups for deployment testing.
• Support FDIR analysis and implement mechanism components.
• Generate and release engineering drawings and change orders.
• Liaise with fabrication shops for procurement and technical alignment.
• Write technical documentation supporting analysis, build, test, and integration.
• Collaborate with mechanical design, structures, opto-mechanical, avionics, and manufacturing teams.

Skills

Spacecraft mechanisms design

CAD modeling with GD&T

Hands-on hardware testing

Vacuum/space environment experience

Systems integration collaboration

Creative problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Master's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

PhD in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

Autodesk Inventor

Ansys Mechanical

Job description

Power the future of Space at Star Catcher

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy.

Today's spacecraft must generate all of their own power, which caps what they can do and how long they can operate. But what if they could “plug” into a grid, the way buildings do on Earth? Instead of cables and outlets, Star Catcher is building the technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft’s existing solar panels when and where they need it.
Be an early member of a team building an entirely new energy infrastructure at scale to power the next frontier.

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opportunity for a Spacecraft Mechanisims Engineer to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid. This role will be responsible for design, analysis, and qualification of deployment, release, and pointing mechanisms used on spacecraft, satellites, and other space-related technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design deployment mechanisms, including hinges, booms, dampers, and latches, from concept through flight drawings utilizing Autodesk Inventor.
• Develop hold-down and release mechanisms, including release device selection, preload sizing, and separation shock characterization.
• Design pointing gimbals, and define their actuation, range, accuracy, and resolution requirements.
• Perform torque and force margin analysis across worst-case friction, thermal, and end-of-life conditions.
• Analyze deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics to verify sequencing, rates, latch-up, and induced loads on the spacecraft.
• Select bearings, lubricants, and materials for vacuum compatibility, and specify their handling, cleanliness, and outgassing controls.
• Plan and execute mechanism development, qualification, and life test campaigns in ambient and thermal vacuum conditions.
• Create test fixtures and gravity offload setups for deployment testing.
• Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) analysis and implementation of mechanism components.
• Generate and release engineering drawings of parts and assemblies following drafting standards and GD&T. Create and release engineering change orders to document design changes.
• Serve as liaison with fabrication shops in support of technical matters for procurement efforts.
• Write technical documentation supporting the analysis, build, test, and integration of hardware to meet program requirements. Document and present technical data providing justification for design choices.
• Partner with mechanical design, structures, opto-mechanical, avionics, and manufacturing teams to integrate mechanisms into the spacecraft and close interface requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum three years of experience designing spacecraft mechanisms or other relevant industry experience.
• Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent.
• Hands-on experience in a shop, lab, or cleanroom environment supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing.
• Experience sizing and selecting precision actuators and drivetrains, including stepper or brushless DC motors, harmonic drives, gearheads, and encoders.
• Experience selecting vacuum-compatible bearings and lubricants, and addressing tribology, cold welding, and outgassing in flight mechanism design.
• Experience with hold-down and release devices, including non-explosive actuators or pyrotechnic devices.
• Experience performing torque and force margin analysis of spacecraft mechanisms per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent.
• Creative problem-solving skills, with the capability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges.
• Willingness to follow company standards and procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
• Multibody dynamics or kinematic simulation of deployment events.
• Experience with deployable structures such as booms, reflectors, or solar arrays, and the gravity offload techniques used to test them.
• Structural analysis of mechanism components in Ansys Mechanical.
• Experience with pointing or gimbal mechanisms and their interaction with attitude control and pointing jitter.
• Familiarity with regulations and standards relevant to space missions and operations.
• Ability to effectively communicate and work in a multidisciplinary team setting while prioritizing tasks, multiple projects, and personnel.

Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits.

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you 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.