Spacecraft Structures Engineer

Power the future of Space at Star Catcher

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy.

Today’s spacecraft must generate all of their own power, which caps what they can do and how long they can operate. But what if they could “plug” into a grid, the way buildings do on Earth? Instead of cables and outlets, Star Catcher is building the technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft’s existing solar panels when and where they need it.

Be an early member of a team building an entirely new energy infrastructure at scale to power the next frontier.

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opportunity for a Spacecraft Structures Engineer to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid. This role will be responsible for design, analysis, and testing of structural systems, components, and ground support equipment used on spacecraft, satellites, and other space-related technologies. 

Key Responsibilities

•  Design spacecraft structures and ground support equipment (GSE) for concept, preliminary, and detailed design phases using Autodesk Inventor. 
• Generate and release engineering drawings for part fabrication and assembly following drawing standards and utilizing GD&T. Create and release engineering change orders to document design changes. 
• Perform hand calculations and finite element analysis of owned parts across quasi-static, modal, random vibration, and shock environments, and report margins of safety. 
• Build and mesh finite element models in Ansys Mechanical. 
• Analyze bolted joints, fasteners, inserts, and bonded interfaces. 
• Support analysis of deployable structures. 
• Support acceptance and qualification test campaigns, including strain gage and accelerometer placement, instrumentation plan execution, and test data reduction for model correlation.
• Support hands-on assembly and integration of flight and ground test hardware.
• Write technical documentation supporting the analysis, build, test, and integration of hardware to meet program requirements. Document and present technical data providing justification for design choices.
• Serve as liaison with fabrication shops in support of technical matters for procurement efforts.
• Partner with mechanical design, opto-mechanical, thermal, electrical, and manufacturing teams to drive designs and close issues found in analysis and test.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, structural, or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum three years of experience designing, analyzing, and testing mechanical hardware for complex systems. 
• Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent. 
• Experience performing structural analysis in Ansys Mechanical or equivalent, including static, modal, and random vibration load cases. 
• Working knowledge of aerospace structural criteria, including margin of safety reporting, bolted joint analysis, and factors of safety per NASA-STD-5001. 
• Hands-on experience in a shop, lab, or cleanroom environment supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing. 
• Creative problem-solving skills, with the capability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges. 
• Willingness to follow company standards and procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field
• Analysis of deployable structures, hinges, latches, and stowed launch load paths. 
• Structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis or thermoelastic distortion of precision optical assemblies. 
• Experience with composite, bonded, or lightweight panel construction and the associated fabrication processes. 
• Scripting in Python or APDL to automate model builds, load case sweeps, and margin reporting. 
• Familiarity regulations and standards relevant to space missions and operations. 
• Ability to effectively communicate and work in a multidisciplinary team setting while prioritizing tasks, multiple projects, and personnel.

Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits.

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.