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Salary: USD 80,000 - 130,000 / annual
Terran Orbital, a leading satellite manufacturer serving aerospace and defense industries, is seeking a Spacecraft Thermal Engineer to join its growing thermal engineering team. Reporting to the Thermal Engineering Manager, you will be involved in all aspects of spacecraft development, supporting thermal systems configuration from concept through design reviews, design verification, and operations.
Key responsibilities include:
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to identify and mitigate thermal design risks from concept through production and operation
- Work with spacecraft system engineers to translate Concept of Operations (CONOPS) into representative thermal design scenarios
- Develop thermal models of active and passive thermal designs using numerical solutions and hand calculations to predict temperature margins across various space environments
- Participate in spacecraft build and testing campaigns, including off-hours and on-call work as needed
- Develop thermal verification test plans, support test activities, and correlate results to model predictions
- Prepare technical documentation and presentations for managers, customers, and stakeholders
- Support business development activities including proposals, white papers, and RFI responses
- Develop tools for concept trade studies and post-processing analysis
This role offers the opportunity to work on state-of-the-art satellite constellations in a fast-paced, startup-like environment within an established aerospace company. You will contribute to mission-critical systems that support national defense and commercial objectives.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with thermal focus or similar discipline
- Level I (Associate Engineer): 0+ years of thermal engineering experience in spacecraft or related disciplines
- Level II (Engineer): 2+ years of thermal engineering experience in spacecraft or related disciplines
- Proficiency with Thermal Desktop (required)
- Strong understanding of radiation and conduction heat transfer principles in space environments
- Deep knowledge of orbital mechanics and thermal design considerations for MEO, LEO, GEO, and other orbits
- Proven knowledge of spacecraft mission design and subsystems/architecture as relates to thermal design
- Strong knowledge of spacecraft thermal design management and surface treatments
- Experience with process development in thermal analysis methods, testing methods, or model correlation
- Knowledge of environmental requirements, thermal vacuum/ambient pressure testing, and hands-on engineering project experience with data acquisition systems
- Proficiency with SolidWorks or other CAD software
- Experience developing detailed and simplified thermal models for spacecraft systems, subsystems, and components
- Proficiency with computational scripting languages (MATLAB, Python, Mathematica, or equivalent)
- U.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance
- Comfortable in fast-paced startup environment with desire to lead and contribute on small teams
- Excellent communication, documentation, and teamwork skills
Differentiators:
- Master's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with thermal focus (substitutes for 2 years experience)
- Ph.D. degree (substitutes for 5 years experience)
- Technical leadership experience (Risk Reduction teams, Subject Matter Expert roles)
- Ownership of technical issues in Engineering Review Boards, NCRs, and anomaly resolution
- Experience with build integration and testing of propulsion, thermal, electrical, and structural systems
- Production environment experience in space/aerospace industry
