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Relativity Space is building the Terran R rocket to deliver payloads to orbit and advance space exploration. The Propulsion team develops high-performance, manufacturable engines for this vehicle, with engineers owning the complete lifecycle from design through production, qualification, and flight.
This Staff-level role focuses on the design, development, and qualification of Aeon-R heatshield components—critical thermal protection systems that enable engine and first-stage reusability through extreme entry, descent, and landing environments. As a Responsible Engineer, you will own the structural design and analysis of heatshield hardware across multiple engine and flight configurations.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design, analyze, develop, test, and qualify heatshield hardware for multiple engine and flight configurations
- Leverage development testing and flight data to continuously iterate and improve hardware performance
- Analyze post-flight conditions to assess reusability and drive future design improvements
- Partner closely with peer engineers across Propulsion and Vehicle organizations to optimize mechanical interfaces
- Collaborate with manufacturing and supply chain teams to transition designs from development to production
- Contribute to the qualification and certification of hardware for flight operations
The role emphasizes autonomy, ownership, and impact. You'll work in a culture of bottoms-up decision-making where technical rigor and creativity drive innovation. The team is currently advancing the Terran R flight configuration through qualification while exploring future engine modifications including thrust upgrades and design for mass production. This is an opportunity to shape a critical subsystem on a vehicle that will define commercial spaceflight.
