Spacecraft Structural Engineer — Deployables

Orbital Inc.; Northern, Los Angeles (KY, CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful founding equity

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Unlimited PTO

Los Angeles Arts District office

Job summary

Orbital Inc. is seeking a hands-on spacecraft structures engineer to own the satellite’s primary structure and deployable systems. You will drive mechanical integration for a high-power 100 kW payload and oversee FEA, launch loads, and on-orbit reliability.

Join a founding-team environment in Los Angeles with equity and rapid flight timelines toward Pathfinder/Orbital-1 missions. You’ll collaborate with vendors, labs, and manufacturing partners to deliver a flight-worthy architecture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of spacecraft mechanical and/or structural engineering experience.
• Experience with deployable structures (solar arrays, radiators, booms, etc.).
• Proficiency with FEA and launch/vibration loads; materials knowledge (CFRP, aluminum, titanium).

Responsibilities

• Own the satellite's primary structure and structural architecture across the mission roadmap.
• Design deployable solar array and radiator mechanisms (stowage, deployment, latching, on-orbit reliability).
• Run structural analyses: FEA, modal analysis, launch loads, random vibration, shock, configurations.
• Define mechanical integration of the GPU payload and its interface to the bus.
• Manage mass properties, CG, and SWaP budgets for the spacecraft.
• Interface with partners, vendors, labs, and fabrication shops.
• Lead environmental test campaigns (vibration, TVAC, deployment testing).
• Establish mechanical engineering practices and in-house manufacturing processes.

Skills

Spacecraft structural engineering

FEA

Hands-on builder

Tools

Siemens NX

ABAQUS

ANSYS

NASTRAN

Job description

Orbital Inc. is seeking a hands-on spacecraft structures engineer to own the satellite’s primary structure and deployable systems. You will drive mechanical integration for a high-power 100 kW payload and oversee FEA, launch loads, and on-orbit reliability.

Join a founding-team environment in Los Angeles with equity and rapid flight timelines toward Pathfinder/Orbital-1 missions. You’ll collaborate with vendors, labs, and manufacturing partners to deliver a flight-worthy architecture.