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Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy. The company is developing technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft's existing solar panels, enabling spacecraft to "plug into" a grid rather than generating all their own power. This role is responsible for the design, analysis, and qualification of deployment, release, and pointing mechanisms used on spacecraft and satellites within the Star Catcher Network orbital power grid.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design deployment mechanisms (hinges, booms, dampers, latches) from concept through flight drawings using Autodesk Inventor
- Develop hold-down and release mechanisms, including release device selection and separation shock characterization
- Design pointing gimbals and define actuation, range, accuracy, and resolution requirements
- Perform torque and force margin analysis across worst-case friction, thermal, and end-of-life conditions
- Analyze deployment kinematics and multibody dynamics to verify sequencing, rates, and induced loads
- Select bearings, lubricants, and materials for vacuum compatibility; specify handling, cleanliness, and outgassing controls
- Plan and execute mechanism development, qualification, and life test campaigns in ambient and thermal vacuum conditions
- Create test fixtures and gravity offload setups for deployment testing
- Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) analysis
- Generate engineering drawings and change orders following GD&T standards
- Serve as liaison with fabrication shops on technical procurement matters
- Write technical documentation supporting analysis, build, test, and integration
- Partner with mechanical design, structures, opto-mechanical, avionics, and manufacturing teams
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or related field
- Minimum 3 years of experience designing spacecraft mechanisms or equivalent industry experience
- Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent
- Hands-on experience in shop, lab, or cleanroom environment supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing
- Experience sizing and selecting precision actuators and drivetrains (stepper/brushless DC motors, harmonic drives, gearheads, encoders)
- Experience selecting vacuum-compatible bearings and lubricants; knowledge of tribology, cold welding, and outgassing in flight mechanism design
- Experience with hold-down and release devices (non-explosive actuators or pyrotechnic devices)
- Experience performing torque and force margin analysis per NASA-STD-5017 or equivalent
- Creative problem-solving skills and ability to develop innovative solutions
- Willingness to follow company standards and procedures
Preferred qualifications include Master's or PhD in mechanical/aerospace engineering, multibody dynamics/kinematic simulation experience, deployable structures experience (booms, reflectors, solar arrays), structural analysis in Ansys Mechanical, pointing/gimbal mechanism experience, familiarity with space mission regulations and standards, and strong multidisciplinary team communication skills.
