Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer; Docking, Capture, and Mating Systems

Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer (Docking, Capture, and Mating Systems)

Today, everything we send to space is constrained by what fits inside a rocket fairing. That’s a fundamental bottleneck to building more capable spacecraft. Rendezvous Robotics is solving this problem with electromagnetic self-assembling tiles that enable spacecraft that are bigger and more powerful than anything that can be folded to fit into a rocket. We’re a small team based in Golden, Colorado, executing on a clear path from flight demonstration to our first operational systems.

Our work spans hardware, software, and systems engineering, and we’re always looking for people who want to build things that matter.

The Role

We are looking for a Mid to Senior Level Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to own the design, analysis, and testing of the docking, capture, and mating systems that make in-space assembly of our self-assembling satellites possible, taking flight hardware from concept through qualification, production, and on-orbit operation. This is capture and mating hardware of the class flown on rendezvous, servicing, and robotic assembly missions, designed for repeated operation between free-flying spacecraft.

You will own the docking latch and the mating electrical interface, the alignment budget, the life and wear test program, and the structural analysis that supports them. You will partner with GNC, systems, electrical, avionics, software, manufacturing, test, and outside suppliers. This is a full-time, on-site role in Golden, Colorado, in the Denver metro area.

Responsibilities

• Own docking latch design, including capture envelope, misalignment tolerance, latch preload, and structural performance of the mated joint.
• Own the mating electrical interface, including blind‑mate connector design or selection, mounting, mate and de‑mate forces, contact wear, cycle life, and scoop‑proofing.
• Own the alignment budget, allocating tolerance across approach conditions, manufacturing tolerances, and mechanism compliance.
• Own the load path from the docking interface into primary structure.
• Analyze differential thermal expansion and load transfer across the mated joint.
• Design for contamination, debris, and wear tolerance at mating interfaces.
• Perform structural analysis of the mechanism and the mated joint, including modal, quasi‑static, and random vibration.
• Develop test plans and support life, wear, vibration, shock, and thermal vacuum (TVAC) test campaigns, including cycle counts, accelerated test methods, and instrumentation.
• Select materials, coatings, and lubricants for repeated mating in vacuum.
• Engage suppliers, support fabrication processes, and produce and check detailed drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• 4+ years of spacecraft or satellite mechanism design experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing spaceflight hardware that has flown or completed flight qualification.
• Mechanism design experience with repeated contact and cyclic operation, such as latches, docking, capture, mating interfaces, or retention and release mechanisms.
• Experience with tolerance stack‑up analysis and tolerance allocation across mechanical interfaces.
• Experience designing connector or contact interfaces where mate reliability was a driving requirement.
• Hands‑on mechanism development, assembly, and test experience.
• Proficiency with structural finite element analysis (FEA) for modal, quasi‑static, and random vibration analysis.
• Strong command of 3D CAD, detailed drawings, tolerance stack‑ups, and GD&T (ASME Y14.5).
• Solid understanding of spaceflight materials, hardware, and fabrication techniques.
• Strong ability to communicate across engineering disciplines to make program‑critical decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with on‑orbit servicing, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), docking, robotic interfaces, or in‑space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) vehicles, including docking mechanisms, capture systems, or servicer‑to‑client structural interfaces.
• Familiarity with vacuum tribology and…