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Cowboy Space Corporation is building space-based solar energy infrastructure using modular, scalable satellites in Low Earth Orbit. The company transmits energy via infrared lasers, powers on-orbit computing clusters, and provides secure optical data transport. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), the company has raised ~$365M from top-tier investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
As the first Ordnance Engineer, you will own every energetic device on the vehicle, including pyro-valves, pyro-actuated mechanisms, initiators, safe-and-arm devices, and detonating trains. This is a foundational role with no existing ordnance group or infrastructure to inherit—you will define the ordnance architecture from the ground up.
Key responsibilities include: defining the ordnance architecture for all pyro-actuated valves and mechanisms; selecting, specifying, and qualifying hardware (initiators, detonators, safe-and-arm devices, shaped charges, separation nuts, pin pullers); owning the energetics side of the initiation chain including no-fire/all-fire current, firing margin, and inadvertent-initiation analysis; managing environmental and susceptibility cases (HERO, RF susceptibility per MIL-STD-464, ESD, bonding, grounding, thermal, vibration, shock); running qualification campaigns at component, subsystem, and full-system levels per MIL-STD-1576; owning hazard classification, net explosive weight, and explosive site planning; and standing up storage, magazine licensing, and compliance with ATF, DOT, and DoD regulations.
You will collaborate closely with the Flight Safety System Architect and Range Safety Lead. Early work involves running trades, calling vendors, and writing specifications. Later, you will qualify hardware and oversee live installation of initiators against procedures you authored.
Required: Bachelor's in mechanical, aerospace, chemical, or electrical engineering; 5–10 years in ordnance, pyrotechnics, or energetic systems on launch vehicles, missiles, or spacecraft; hands-on experience qualifying ordnance devices or initiation trains; command of MIL-STD-1576 and explosives safety regulations; electrical fluency in firing chains (bridgewire, exploding-foil devices, no-fire/all-fire current, firing margin, ESD, RF susceptibility); deep knowledge of energetic materials (formulations, aging, compatibility, thermal/vacuum effects); excellent written communication; and reusable vehicle experience (safing recovered hardware, requalifying ordnance post-flight).
Preferred: flight termination ordnance experience (thrust termination charge design, linear shaped charge); energetic materials expertise (formulation, compatibility, aging studies); and experience standing up ordnance programs.
