Thermal Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Impulsespace; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach is seeking a Thermal Engineering Intern for Summer 2027. You will support thermal management of spacecraft from concept through testing, working with a fast-paced agile team to deliver high-performance designs.

This 12-week internship runs May/June to August/September 2027, with on-site work and potential overtime as needed. The role emphasizes modeling, hardware design support, and hands-on testing.

Qualifications

• Completion or working towards a degree in engineering or science.
• Ability to take project ownership and work well in a small team.
• Demonstrated understanding of heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and maintenance of thermal models of spacecraft, systems, and components
• Support the determination of appropriate physical properties, environments, and boundary conditions
• Support the selection and design of thermal management hardware such as heat pipes, radiators, heaters, thermal paint, tape, and MLI
• Support thermal cycle and vacuum testing of components and spacecraft
• Analyze thermal test data to correlate models and improve model fidelity
• Collaborate with design engineers to implement effective thermal management strategies
• Support the evaluation of material properties and thermal requirements
• Document thermal analyses, designs, and test results

Skills

Heat transfer

Thermodynamics

Fluid mechanics

Hands-on hardware experience

Test instrumentation

Education

Engineering or Science degree (in progress)

Tools

Siemens Simcenter

ANSYS Thermal

Thermal Desktop

CAD software

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Thermal Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Department: Internship

Employment Type: Internship

Location: Redondo Beach

Compensation: $30.00 / hour

Description

As a Thermal Engineering Intern at Impulse, you will support thermal management of spacecraft from concept, analysis, and design, to implementation, testing, and flight while working closely with a fast-paced, agile team that strives to make a high-performance spacecraft from a clean sheet design.

*This internship is 12 weeks long from May/June to August/September 2027*

Responsibilities

• Support the development and maintenance of thermal models of spacecraft, systems, and components
• Support the determination of appropriate physical properties, environments, and boundary conditions
• Support the selection and design of thermal management hardware such as heat pipes, radiators, heaters, thermal paint, tape, and MLI
• Support thermal cycle and vacuum testing of components and spacecraft
• Analyze thermal test data to correlate models and improve model fidelity
• Collaborate with design engineers to implement effective thermal management strategies
• Support the evaluation of material properties and thermal requirements
• Document thermal analyses, designs, and test results

Minimum Qualifications

• Completion or working towards a degree in engineering or science
• Ability to take project ownership and work well in a small team
• Demonstrated understanding of heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Hands-on experience designing, building, and testing hardware
• Experience with thermal testing, vacuum testing, or temperature instrumentation
• Familiarity with CAD software and ability to learn new tools
• Experience with Siemens Simcenter, ANSYS Thermal, Thermal Desktop, or similar tools
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, or similar engineering analysis software

Additional Requirements:

• Willing and able to work on-site in Redondo Beach, CA for the duration of the internship
• This position may require overtime hours; interns are eligible for overtime pay.

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

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. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space 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.