Spacecraft Structures Engineer; Bus Structures and Packaging

Spacecraft Structures Engineer (Bus Structures and Packaging)

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.

We are looking for a Mid to Senior Level Spacecraft Structures Engineer to own the design, analysis, and packaging of satellite bus and tile primary structure, including the hardware mounted to it, taking flight structures from concept through qualification, production, and on-orbit operation. You will own structural design, component enclosures and mounting, thermal conduction paths, detailed layout, and the structural and thermal analysis that supports them.

You will partner with systems, electrical, avionics, software, manufacturing, test, outside suppliers, and fabricators. This is a full-time, on-site role in Golden, Colorado, in the Denver metro area.

• Own spacecraft primary and secondary structure from concept through detailed design, qualification, production, and on-orbit operation, including requirements definition, detailed CAD modeling, tolerance stack-ups, and design reviews.
• Design component mounting and local stiffening, including mounting patterns, fastener and insert schemes, and the dynamic response of mounted hardware.
• Design conduction paths and thermal interfaces, including doublers, thermal interface materials, heat pipe integration, and component placement.
• Design solar cell mechanical mounting, including substrate preparation, bonding, CTE compatibility, and cover glass handling.
• Execute detailed structural layout and packaging, balancing structural, thermal, power, and avionics requirements.
• Perform component and assembly level structural analysis, including modal, quasi-static, and random vibration.
• Define harness routing and accommodation.
• Engage suppliers and fabricators, support fabrication processes, and produce and check detailed drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
• Support prototype builds and oversee structural verification and validation, including environmental and vibration testing.
• Support vibroacoustic and detailed thermal analysis, and incorporate the results into the design.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• 4+ years of spacecraft or satellite structural and mechanical design experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing spaceflight hardware that has flown.
• Experience owning a flight structure or subsystem from concept through qualification test.
• Experience mounting components to primary structure, including responsibility for the dynamic environment of the mounted hardware.
• Thermal-mechanical design experience, including conduction path design, doublers, heat pipe integration, thermal interface materials, and CTE-driven failure modes.
• Proficiency with structural finite element analysis (FEA) for modal, quasi-static, and random vibration analysis.
• Strong first-principles approach to structural design, analysis, and test, including hand calculations to size hardware and check FEA results.
• Strong command of 3D CAD, detailed drawings, tolerance stack-ups, and GD&T (ASME Y14.5).
• Solid understanding of spaceflight materials, hardware, fabrication techniques, and design for manufacturability.
• Strong ability to communicate across engineering disciplines to make program-critical decisions.

• Experience with electronics packaging and enclosure design for space flight, including chassis and covers, connector selection, PCB mounting, grounding, and bonding.
• Familiarity with grounding and EMI considerations for electronics mounting.
• Experience with solar…