Vehicle Structures & Mechanisms Engineer Intern

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA is shaping the future of space with Terran R. We are seeking undergraduate and graduate students to join the Structures & Mechanisms team as hands-on contributors to hardware design, analysis, and testing.

You’ll work across mechanical design, CAD modeling, and cross‑functional collaboration to deliver deployable structures and actuators on a fast-paced rocket program.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Hands-on mechanical design experience.
• Familiar with CAD tools such as NX or SolidWorks; exposure to FEA is a plus.
• Team player excited to work on rocket hardware onsite.

Responsibilities

• Assist design, analysis, and testing of actuators and mechanisms.
• Create CAD models, drawings, and maintain documentation.
• Perform preliminary calculations and simple simulations.
• Support hardware build and test activities on the factory floor.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and test teams to solve challenges.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD tools NX/SolidWorks

FEA / Python / MATLAB

Team collaboration

Education

Mechanical/Aerospace Eng student

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

\"At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Our Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launch capacity. But that’s just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock new opportunities to advance science, exploration, and innovation, pioneering progress that reaches beyond the known.\"

Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Here, you're not just executing tasks; you're solving problems that haven’t been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up. Whether you’re in propulsion, manufacturing, software, avionics, or a corporate function, you’ll collaborate across teams, shape decisions, and see your work come to life in record time. Relativity is a place where creativity and technical rigor go hand in hand, and your voice will help define the stories we’re writing together. Now is a unique moment in time where it’s early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The most meaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.

About The Team

The Structures and Mechanisms team is responsible for the full design, build, and test lifecycle of Terran R’s integrated structures and flight mechanisms. Whether you're working on highly iterative mechanisms that move or tight-margin structures that shouldn’t, you’ll get hands‑on hardware ownership and see the rocket coming to life on the factory floor. Both teams fall under one department, sharing design principles, tools, and an integrated approach that provides a comprehensive view of Terran R. Team members work on multiple parts, not just within a single subsystem, and are empowered to make decisions that directly impact flight hardware. Beyond first flight, you’ll play a critical role in refining for manufacturability and speed.

Structures & Mechanisms

Your responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Support the design, analysis, and testing of electromechanical actuators (EMAs) and pneumatic actuator systems for aerospace applications.


• Assist in creating CAD models, drawings, and documentation for actuator components and subassemblies, ensuring compliance with engineering standards.


• Perform preliminary hand calculations and simulation support for actuator performance, loads, and kinematics.


• Participate in hardware build and test activities, including setup, data collection, and post-test analysis.


• Contribute to troubleshooting and root cause analysis for actuator performance or integration issues.


• Collaborate with cross‑functional engineering teams (mechanical, electrical, and test) to deliver reliable mechanism solutions.

About You

• Current undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline


• Hands‑on experience with mechanical design, prototyping, or analysis of structural or mechanism components


• Familiarity with CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks, or similar) and exposure to FEA or engineering coding languages like Python or MATLAB


• Strong interest in aerospace hardware such as actuators, linkages, latches, or deployable structures


• Collaborative team member who thrives in fast‑paced, multidisciplinary environments and is eager to learn

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Familiarity with CAD tools (NX) and basic drafting practices.


• Experience with basic programming or scripting (e.g., Python, MATLAB) for data analysis or automation.


• Exposure to finite element analysis (FEA) or other simulation tools for structural or thermal modeling.


• Hands‑on experience with prototyping, machining, or test lab equipment.

Structures Design

Your responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Design and develop piece parts, assemblies, and systems from early conceptualization up through full initial release – working with large machined metallic components, sheet metal, composites, formed panels, and more


• Integrate critical design for manufacturing choices in direct coordination with the manufacturing engineering team


• Perform packaging assessment of systems – resolve interferences, perform tolerance stack analyses, validate hardware stacks and fastener selections, integrate nominal gapping and shimming strategies, and more


• Support BOM and configuration management of various systems across multiple vehicles


• Create and release drawings as part of system release sprints post-CDR, including incorporating GD&T as primary definition

About You

• Experience working on an engineering team/project designing and building hardware


• 1‑2 years established CAD experience (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, Fusion 360, etc.)


• Demonstrates fundamental engineering principles and integrating them into design decisions


• Able to work in large assemblies and navigate/manage large BOM's


• Excitement to work on rockets and be onsite with real‑world hardware

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Experience on a rocket team


• 1+ years experience with NX/Teamcenter PLM


• 1+ years experience with GD&T and drafting

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status."