Spacecraft Thermal Design Engineer

Amazon; Redmond, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 136,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Leo is seeking a Thermal Design Engineer to perform thermal analysis for spacecraft buses and payloads, develop heat pipe solutions, and automate analysis workflows. You will work with the satellite thermal team to ensure reliability and optimize mass and cost across programs in the Amazon Leo constellation.

The role requires 4+ years in mechanical engineering with thermal analysis software, scripting in Python/MATLAB, and experience in thermal control hardware.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of working in mechanical engineering or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience with thermal analysis software, including writing custom scripts for rapid design trades.
• 1+ years experience with test planning, test set-up, results correlation and system verification for production.
• 1+ years of experience developing and/or selecting thermal control hardware, including materials and finishes, paints, interface materials, MLI blankets, heat pipes, radiators, temperature sensors, and heaters.
• 1+ years of experience with thermal simulation software (e.g., Thermal Desktop (SINDA), ANSYS) and programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB).

Responsibilities

• Support extensive architectural trades by performing preliminary thermal analysis of spacecraft and subsystems for orbital operational conditions and vehicle control options.
• Perform conceptual through detailed thermal analysis of Bus and Payload subsystems, components, and mechanisms.
• Support thermal design activities for additional future programs as the Amazon Leo constellation evolves.
• Develop automated scripts enabling rapid analysis updates to accommodate design trades (power states, duty cycles, structural mapping).
• Design, analyze, and select heat pipes for Bus and Payload components.
• Develop automated scripts enabling rapid analysis updates accommodating trades (power states, duty cycles, structural mapping).
• Define and execute thermal cycling and TVAC tests for development and qualification testing at the subsystem and vehicle level. Correlate test results with mission operations models.
• Define and select test equipment as needed (e.g., sensors, data logging equipment).
• Perform thermal model correlation using test results.
• Conduct testing of prototypes and engineering models for fast design feedback loops.
• Plan and execute characterization, qualification, and acceptance tests.
• Document trades and design evolution, and prepare materials for design review gates.
• Support thermal design for terrestrial equipment and systems using CFD analysis.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Thermal analysis

Python

MATLAB

Test planning

Prototyping

Education

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Thermal Desktop (SINDA)

ANSYS

SolidWorks

NX

Job description

Amazon Leo is seeking a Thermal Design Engineer to perform thermal analysis for spacecraft buses and payloads, develop heat pipe solutions, and automate analysis workflows. You will work with the satellite thermal team to ensure reliability and optimize mass and cost across programs in the Amazon Leo constellation.

The role requires 4+ years in mechanical engineering with thermal analysis software, scripting in Python/MATLAB, and experience in thermal control hardware.