Thermal Engineer Intern (Fall 2026)

Astranis; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 41,328 - 55,104; Full time

Job summary

Astranis is seeking a Thermal Engineer Intern for Fall 2026. The intern will work on designing and testing satellite hardware/software as part of a collaborative engineering team. Ideal candidates are pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering. Responsibilities include thermal analysis and testing of various components. This role emphasizes hands-on development in a fast-paced environment and values US citizenship or Green Card. Internships are typically twelve weeks and hourly.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in mechanical, aerospace, or equivalent technical degree.
• Passion for hardware development in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to design, build, and test hardware from scratch.
• US Citizenship or Green Card.

Responsibilities

• Work with engineering team to design and test satellite hardware/software.
• Perform thermal analysis on various hardware components.
• Develop processes for thermal integration and assembly.
• Run thermal vacuum testing and verification.

Skills

Design hardware/software

Thermal analysis

Collaboration with engineering team

Hands-on development

Education

B.S. or M.S. in mechanical, aerospace, or equivalent technical degree

Tools

CAD

ANSYS

Thermal Desktop

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Thermal Engineer Intern (Fall 2026)

Internships at Astranis typically last for twelve weeks, and are hourly roles designed for students who are currently enrolled at a four‑year university.

As an Intern, you will have an amazing opportunity to work on hard problems — we pride ourselves on giving everyone at Astranis a chance to do meaningful work on complex projects, no matter their seniority. Many past interns have designed and tested hardware/software that is heading to space on our first satellite, and many of them are now full‑time employees at Astranis.

If you have already graduated from a four‑year university, please apply to be an Associate Engineer.

Role

• Work together with the engineering team to design, evaluate, build, and test satellite hardware and/or software.
• Support design trades that successfully balance performance margins, resource use, risk, cost, and schedule.
• Perform thermal analysis to varying degrees of fidelity (simplified to detailed) on a variety of different types of hardware such as propulsion components, batteries, high powered electronics, RF components, mechanisms, and printed circuit boards (PCBs).
• Design, evaluate, procure and test thermal solutions such as heaters, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and surface coatings.
• Develop processes and procedures for integration and assembly which ensure thermal design intent is met. Collaborate with the integration and test team in the installation of thermal hardware as needed.
• Plan and run thermal vacuum testing and verification at the component and spacecraft level.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in mechanical, aerospace, or equivalent technical degree (e.g. physics or applied math)
• A passion and enthusiasm for hardware development, including working in a fast‑paced environment and hands‑on design and development
• Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware from scratch.
• US Citizenship or Green Card
• Don’t meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.

Bonus

• Experience with CAD
• Experience with analytical software thermal analysis such as ANSYS and Thermal Desktop
• Experience with electronics systems design and packaging