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Salary: USD 110,000 - 135,000 / annual
Cowboy Space is building orbital infrastructure to power and connect the space economy. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (Robinhood co-founder) and backed by leading investors, the company operates satellites in Low Earth Orbit that collect sunlight and enable new capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute to transmitting energy via infrared lasers and delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data.
As a Turbopump Engineer Level I, you will own individual turbopump components (inducers, impellers, volutes, diffusers, turbine hardware, dynamic seals, or pump housings) as part of larger engine assemblies. This is a hands-on role where you design, build, test, and iterate on critical propulsion hardware.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design turbopump components under senior engineer direction: CAD models, engineering drawings, tolerances, GD&T, material and process specifications
- Perform analysis on your parts using hand calculations and FEA, then validate predictions against test data
- Integrate constraints from hydro, aero, structures, secondary flow, and thermal disciplines into geometry
- Work directly with machinists and technicians on the shop floor, support first article reviews, and disposition nonconformances
- Support component and engine testing: write instrumentation requests, work test day shifts, and analyze resulting data
- Maintain configuration and pedigree records for parts across build, test, and refurbishment cycles
- Troubleshoot hardware failures, participate in root cause investigations, and implement design changes
Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering; solid fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, structural mechanics, and materials; experience taking mechanical designs from concept through physical hardware (internships, co-ops, competition teams count); proficiency with CAD (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo) and ASME Y14.5 GD&T; working knowledge of FEA tools (ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus). U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required due to ITAR export control regulations.
Preferred: rotating machinery or propulsion experience; hands-on prototyping and machining (FSAE, Baja, rocketry, robotics); advanced degree; coursework in propulsion, turbomachinery, or compressible flow; tolerance stack-up experience on built parts; cryogenic or additive manufacturing exposure; startup hardware experience.
