Thermal Engineer

Socket.dev; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA seeks a Thermal Engineer to design and validate thermal management for a space-based power and compute platform.

You will develop strategies for high-power laser systems, spacecraft electronics, and related components operating in extreme space environments. The ideal candidate has 3+ years in spacecraft thermal design, hands-on testing, and familiarity with vacuum chamber tests.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in thermal analysis and design of spacecraft thermal systems.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics and heat transfer fundamentals.
• Demonstrated experience of spaceflight hardware qualification and acceptance testing.
• Familiarity with vacuum chamber thermal testing.

Responsibilities

• Thermal System Design: develop spacecraft thermal management architectures with active and passive cooling for high-power components.
• Thermal Analysis & Modeling: use thermal simulation tools to predict system behavior in space.
• Thermal System Optimization: optimize designs for size, weight, and power.
• Thermal Testing & Validation: conduct thermal cycle and thermal-vacuum tests for flight-worthiness.
• Integration with Mechanical & Electrical Systems: collaborate with cross-discipline teams to ensure integration.
• Material Selection: identify space-grade thermal materials and insulation.
• Reliability & Safety: perform failure mode analysis and add redundancy.

Job description

About Cowboy Space Corp:

Mission

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport. Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases. Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others. This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation ’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

The Role

As a Thermal Engineer you will design, analyze, implement and demonstrate thermal management solutions for our space-based power and compute platform. This role will focus on developing thermal control strategies for high-power laser systems, high-power compute platforms, spacecraft electronics, and structural components operating in extreme space environments. The ideal candidate will have experience with spacecraft thermal design, analysis, testing, and on-orbit demonstration, ensuring reliable performance in Low Earth Orbit.

Responsibilities

• Thermal System Design: Develop spacecraft thermal management architectures, including active and passive cooling solutions for high-power and high-heat-flux components.
• Thermal Analysis & Modeling: Utilise thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS Thermal Desktop to predict system behavior in space conditions.
• Thermal System Optimization: After developing component- and system-level models, identify overall optimum solutions that consider overall size, weight and power.
• Thermal Testing & Validation: Develop, support and execute thermal cycle and thermal-vacuum tests to demonstrate flight-worthiness of components, subsystems and spacecraft.
• Integration with Mechanical & Electrical Systems: Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and build and test engineers to ensure seamless integration of thermal management solutions.
• Material Selection: Identify space-grade thermal materials, coatings, and insulation for spacecraft structures.
• Reliability & Safety: Conduct failure mode analysis and implement redundancy in thermal control systems.
• Collaboration: Work with optics, avionics, and propulsion teams to address thermal constraints in system design.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in thermal analysis and design of spacecraft thermal systems.
• Proficiency with thermal modeling software such as ANSYS Thermal Desktop.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics and heat transfer fundamentals.
• Experience designing, selecting and testing thermal hardware (e.g., radiators, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and heaters).
• Demonstrated experience of spaceflight hardware qualification and acceptance testing of flight components, and the margins associated with those.
• Familiarity with vacuum chamber thermal testing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience designing thermal systems for spacecraft, launch vehicles and/or high-power and heat-flux applications.
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft thermal integration and flight testing.
• Experience with OpenTD and python scripting.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to solve complex thermal design challenges.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $150,000 - $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants 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. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.