Thermal Intern (Winter 2027)

Astranis Space Technologies Corp.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 41,000; Part time

Job summary

Astranis Space Technologies Corp. invites applications for a Thermal Intern position (Winter 2027). Join our team in Northern California to work with engineering on satellite hardware and thermal systems, gaining hands-on experience on space-grade hardware.

You will perform thermal analysis at varying fidelity, design and test thermal solutions, and support integration and testing activities. The internship lasts twelve weeks and pays $29 per hour; US Citizenship or permanent residency is

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's in mechanical, aerospace, or related field.
• Hands-on hardware design, development and testing experience.
• Ability to design, build and test hardware from scratch.
• US Citizenship or Green Card.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with engineering to design, evaluate, build, and test satellite hardware/software.
• Support design trades balancing performance, resources, risk, cost, schedule.
• Perform thermal analysis for various hardware types (simplified to detailed).
• Design, evaluate, procure and test thermal solutions (heaters, heat pipes, interfaces, coatings).
• Develop integration and assembly processes ensuring thermal design intent.
• Plan and run thermal vacuum testing and verification at component and spacecraft levels.

Skills

Hardware development passion

Hands-on hardware design

Test hardware from scratch

Education

B.S./M.S. in mechanical/aerospace

Tools

CAD

ANSYS

Thermal Desktop

Electronics packaging

Job description

Thermal Intern (Winter 2027)

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 $1.2 billion from some of the world's best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

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.

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

Bonus

• Experience with CAD
• Experience with analytical software thermal analysis such as ANSYS and Thermal Desktop
• Experience with electronics systems design and packaging
• Experience (projects or previous internships) related to aerospace

The base pay for this position is $29.00 per hour.

Base Hourly Pay: $29 USD per hour.

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.