Senior Materials Engineer

Ready to make connectivity from space universally accessible, secure and actionable? Then you’ve come to the right place!

E‑Space is bridging Earth and space to enable hyper‑scaled deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services. We are building a highly‑advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) space system that will fundamentally change the design, economics, manufacturing and service delivery associated with traditional satellite and terrestrial IoT systems.

We’re intentional, we’re unapologetically curious and we’re 100% committed to innovate space‑based communications and deliver actionable intelligence that will expand global economies, protect space and our planet and enhance our overall quality of life.

We’re looking for a pragmatic, hands‑on Senior Materials Scientist to own polymer selection, testing, and lifetime prediction for spacecraft and space‑adjacent products. You will design custom experiments and equipment (e.g., UV‑in‑vacuum and cryogenic test rigs), write test procedures, execute and analyze results, and translate findings into clear design and qualification guidance aligned with NASA expectations.

• Own polymer characterization for space environments
  : UV susceptibility (including VUV), vacuum/thermal behavior, atomic‑oxygen and radiation awareness, contamination/out gassing, and end‑of‑life performance.
• Design test strategies & procedures
  : create end‑to‑end test plans, DOEs, acceptance criteria, and data packages for materials, adhesives, coatings, films, potting/encapsulants, and composites.
• Build and operate custom rigs
  : conceive, specify, and bring up test equipment such as UV‑in‑vacuum exposure chambers, thermal vacuum cycling fixtures, LN₂‑based cryogenic setups, and environmental monitoring (e.g., radiometry, RGA, QCM).
• Model lifetime & degradation
  : develop physic‑of‑failure and empirical models (e.g., Arrhenius/WLF/time‑temperature superposition, UV dose‑response, Weibull/statistical life) to predict performance over mission profiles (LEO/GEO/deep space).
• Execute and analyze
  : run tests, reduce data, quantify uncertainties, and deliver concise engineering recommendations and redlines to design/manufacturing.
• Author documentation
  : write procedures, lab work instructions, and formal test reports suitable for internal design reviews and customer/agency audits.
• Cross‑functional support
  : advise design, thermal, optical, contamination control, and manufacturing teams on material selection and qualification plans.
• Own compliance & safety
  : uphold lab safety for vacuum, UV, cryogens, and high voltage; ensure calibration/traceability and good measurement practice.
• Vendor & lab interfacing
  : qualify suppliers, specify external test campaigns (e.g., AO or radiation exposure), and review external lab reports.
• Core Methods & Tools You’ll Use
• Thermal/Mechanical: DSC, TGA, DMA, TMA; thermal‑vacuum cycling; CTE and Tg determination; mechanical testing (e.g., tensile, peel, shear per common ASTM methods).
• Optical/UV: UV‑Vis, FTIR for oxidation/yellowing, radiometry; UV sources (deuterium/xenon/UV‑LED), VUV exposure where applicable.
• Vacuum/Contamination: out gassing and condensables (e.g., ASTM E595), QCM‑based assessments (e.g., ASTM E1559), residual gas analysis (RGA).
• Surface/Chemistry: SEM/EDS, XPS, GC–MS for volatiles, GPC/SEC for molecular‑weight changes.
• Data & Modeling: Python/Matlab/JMP for DOE, regression, uncertainty, and lifetime modeling; clear visualization and reporting.
• Familiarity with Space/NASA Guidance (examples)
• NASA materials & processes expectations for spacecraft (e.g., M&P requirements/handbooks),
• GSFC environmental verification perspectives (e.g., thermal‑vacuum/TVAC per GEVS concepts),
• NASA contamination/out gassing acceptance practices (e.g., ASTM E595), and supplier documentation/waivers typical in flight programs.

• 5–10 years applied experience in polymer/materials characterization with a strong hands‑on laboratory bias.
• Demonstrated ability to design from scratch: custom fixtures, chambers, exposure setups (vacuum + UV, LN₂/cryogenic), and to write robust procedures.
• Depth in polymer degradation mechanisms…