Recent Graduate - Mechanical Engineer

Katalyst is an American technology company focused on d ynamic space operations . We are building a fleet of dual-use multipurpose robotic space vehicles to creat e the future where maneuvering, upgrading, refueling, resupply and exploration are as routine as they are on Earth. Getting to space and overcoming the gravity well is only half the story. What you do there is the future.

We are not building the trains. We are building the machines that lay down the tracks. By developing the foundational capabilities that make sustained, responsive operations possible, we enable a new era of space exploration that strengthens national security and ensures freedom of action in an increasingly contested domain.

Working at Katalyst is intense, hands-on, and deeply rewarding. You’ll take real ownership and see your work move from concept to operations in an environment where the problems are hard and the impact is real. We value humility, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when it’s harder. You’ll work closely with thoughtful, driven teammates who push each other to do their best.

• Contribute directly to the design, analysis, development, manufacturing, integration, test, and operation of spacecraft mechanical systems, structures, mechanisms, and flight hardware.
• Own well-scoped mechanical engineering problems from requirements and concept development through CAD, analysis, drawing release, fabrication, integration, test, documentation, and closure with support from senior engineers.
• Work hands-on with CAD, drawings, analysis tools, prototypes, flight hardware, fixtures, test equipment, manufacturing processes, inspection data, and integration activities rather thanoperatingonly at the analysis or documentation layer.
• Participate in design reviews, hardware builds, integration activities, test campaigns, anomaly investigations, and mission-readiness activities; communicate mechanical performance, risks, assumptions, and decisions clearly.
• Collaborate across avionics, GNC, propulsion, software, systems, manufacturing, and mission operations to understand mechanical interfaces and system-level impacts on spacecraft performance.
• Build engineering judgment by comparing calculations and structural, thermal, or mechanism analyses against inspection, test, and hardware data,identifyingdiscrepancies, and iterating toward reliable flight hardware.
• Document requirements, assumptions, interfaces, calculations, CAD, drawings, tolerances, analyses, test results, procedures, and technical decisions so others can review, reproduce, manufacture, and integrate the work.
• Take increasing ownership as technical capability grows, progressing from supervised design and analysis tasks toward independent part-, assembly-, mechanism-, or subsystem-level responsibility.
• Support spacecraft mission execution by helping translate missionobjectivesand constraints into credible mechanical designs, analyses, hardware, integration plans, test approaches, and operational recommendations.

• Bachelor's degree completed, or expected before start date, in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related technical field.
• Strong academic or project-based grounding in mechanics, statics and dynamics, structures, materials, machine design, heat transfer, manufacturing, or related mechanical engineering fundamentals, with the ability to explain technical reasoning from first principles.
• Demonstrated hands-on mechanical engineering experience through internships, research, student spacecraft or robotics teams, capstone projects, personal projects, laboratories, machine-shop work, or prior employment.
• Ability to break down ambiguous mechanical…