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Relativity Space is building the Terran R rocket using advanced 3D printing manufacturing. The Structures and Mechanisms team owns the full design, build, and test lifecycle of integrated structures and flight mechanisms for the vehicle.
In this Senior Mechanical Engineer role, you will guide the design of critical Terran R mechanisms including stage separation systems, payload deployment, aerodynamic control features, and landing gear. You'll work across the full design cycle—from conceptualization and trade studies through design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing. The role emphasizes hands-on hardware ownership with direct visibility to flight hardware on the factory floor.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead mechanism design for stage separation, fairing deployment, landing gear, and aero surface actuation
- Conduct trade studies on competing design concepts and present recommendations to leadership
- Define design criteria and subsystem requirements in collaboration with structures, avionics, and fluids teams
- Review static and dynamic load inputs, material properties, and manufacturing process constraints
- Leverage additive manufacturing design freedom to innovate and optimize components
- Support manufacturability refinement and speed optimization beyond first flight
You'll collaborate closely with vehicle design, test, loads, and additive manufacturing teams. The scope is broad—team members work on multiple parts across subsystems, not isolated components. You'll have autonomy to make decisions that directly impact flight hardware and will see your work come to life in record time. This is an opportunity to shape a new rocket platform at a critical inflection point where the vehicle is tangible and gaining momentum.
