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Cowboy Space Corp., founded in 2024 by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, is building orbital infrastructure to power and connect the space economy. The company operates satellites in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable capabilities including on-orbit compute power, space-to-earth and space-to-space energy transmission via infrared lasers, and secure high-bandwidth optical data delivery.
As Mechanical Engineer for Solar Array Deployable Structures, you will own the design and deployment of the large deployable structure that supports and positions the solar array—the central technical challenge of the role. This is a mechanisms-first, hands-on position where you architect and own the deployment mechanism, actuation, latching, stowage, and structural design to ensure a very large deployed structure is stiff, light, and reliable. You will take this hardware end-to-end from concept and analysis through ground testbeds, qualification, and on-orbit deployment.
Key responsibilities include: designing the deployable mechanism from concept through flight, including actuation, deployment sequencing, latching, and launch restraint; analyzing deployment kinematics, synchronization, and reliability; designing mechanism details (bearings, guides, drives, dampers, release devices) with attention to space-rated lubrication and low-shock deployment; performing structural analysis of deployed and stowed configurations for stiffness, buckling, strength, and thermal distortion; designing interfaces to the solar array; designing and operating ground testbeds and gravity-offload fixtures; developing and executing deployment, life-cycle, structural, vibration, thermal-vacuum, and qualification test programs; driving design-for-manufacturing of precision structural elements; authoring technical documentation; diagnosing and resolving anomalies during integration and test; and partnering with structures, GN&C, power, avionics, propulsion, and software teams to ensure seamless spacecraft integration.
Required qualifications: BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering; 3+ years designing and analyzing deployable mechanisms or precision mechanical hardware in aerospace or high-performance environments; strong fundamentals in mechanism kinematics, actuation, springs, motors, bearings, latches, tribology, and deployment reliability; solid structural fundamentals in stiffness, buckling, stability, strength, and dynamics of slender/lightweight structures; hands-on experience building and testing mechanisms; experience taking hardware from concept through build and test with integration and test involvement; proficiency with CAD (NX, SolidWorks, or similar); and experience in fast-paced, hardware-focused development environments.
Preferred qualifications include direct experience with deployable booms, masts, or large solar array structures; composite structures design and fabrication; large or flexible-blanket solar arrays; gravity-offload or deployment test rigs; space environment design (thermal, vibration, vacuum); spacecraft mechanisms and deployables; structural dynamics of flexible structures and GN&C interaction; space-rated lubrication and tribology; and aerospace standards (MIL-SPEC, NASA-STD, ECSS) and spaceflight knowledge.
