Senior Structural Analyst

The Company

Astra’s mission is to Improve Life on Earth from Space® by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services of any operational launch provider in the world, and one of the industry’s first flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, Astra Spacecraft Engine™. Astra delivered its first commercial launch to low Earth orbit in 2021, making it the fastest company in history to reach this milestone, just five years after it was founded in 2016. Astra (NASDAQ: ASTR) was the first space launch company to be publicly traded on Nasdaq.

The Team 

The space products engineering team is producing low-cost, reliable, highly efficient, Hall-effect thruster propulsion systems for modern satellites and spacecraft. Our thrusters will be used in Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit, Geostationary Orbit, Lunar missions, and beyond. The team includes talented engineers who have designed and launched into orbit over 1,000 satellites over the course of their careers. Comprehensive design, prototype production, qualification, and acceptance tests are conducted within our Alameda, Mountain View and new Sunnyvale facilities. 

The Opportunity 

You will work with an interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineers, systems engineers, propulsion engineers, electrical engineers, and analysts to bring designs to life. This position will serve as a Structural Analyst for the Space Products group. New programs come in frequently. You will be a primary contributor on a team that develops new systems/modules and launches them into orbit.

How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

• Build finite element models and/or statistical energy analysis models for use in dynamic simulations.
• Perform various structural analyses required to design the product including modal, static, random vibration, transient shock, acoustic analysis.
• Perform parametric design studies to improve design concepts & efficiency.
• Generate test requirements (static and dynamic) as well as the overall qualification and acceptance test approach for avionics components and secondary structures.
• Develop standards to be used on FEA; define tools & acceptable post-processing methods.
• Execute testing (quasi-static, sine & random vibration, shock, and acoustic) from start-to-finish.
• Analyze acceleration and pressure time history data from tests & flights for use in structural analysis.
• Provide vehicle loads, dynamic design guidelines and requirements to mechanical designers in early phases of hardware development.
• Be a key part of the engineering, analysis, and test cycle by interfacing with design and test engineers to perform analyses, conduct structural tests, interpret results, and iterate to solutions.
• Help guide the selection and location of instrumentation for refining loads models based on flight and test environments.
• Improve the existing analytical capabilities, processes, and tools.
• Develop and document the load cases and results in a clear, concise manner so that they can correlate to past analyses as well as inform future analyses.

Why We Value You

• You have a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Acoustics or related technical discipline.
• You have 5+ years work experience in aerospace, aircraft, or automotive loads and dynamics analysis.
• You have background in finite element modeling (NX Simcenter / NASTRAN preferred).
• You have background in structural analysis and test, including a fundamental understanding of strength, stability and fatigue failure mechanisms.
• You have demonstrated ability of working with design engineers symbiotically to create efficient designs that satisfy broad requirements.
• You have demonstrated ability to validate FEA models with test data.
• You have a strong understanding of commonly used materials & their mechanical/thermal behavior.
• You are comfortable with data processing tools ranging from Excel to custom scripts built with VBA, Python, MATLAB, etc.
• You are excited to work in a fast-paced, self-driven, iterative startup environment.
• You are self-motivated with strong organizational, communication and documentation skills.

Desired Multipliers

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of industry experience with space or aerospace structural engineering.
• You have experience in coupled loads analysis or random response analysis.
• You are knowledgeable in application of vibration/shock specification and test methodologies.
• You have experience in modal testing and analysis.
• You have conducted random and quasi-static electro-dynamic vibration tests; measured and analyzed time histories of the system response.
• You have experience with mechanical CAD (NX or similar) and PLM (Teamcenter or similar).
• You have orbital thermal analysis experience.