Staff Mechanical Engineer, Fluid Systems

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 Mechanical Design Engineer specializing in fluids, COPVs, and high pressure systems for the Space Products group. 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

• Design, Development and Qualification of high pressure and low pressure fluidic components: manifolds, valves, tanks, tubing.
• New development (clean-sheet design) of next generation in-space propulsion system components.
• Generate 3D models, fully dimensioned drawings, and interface control documents per ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards using Siemens NX CAD tool.
• Perform initial structural analyses in NX Simcenter / hand calculations and coordinate with System Analysis team.
• Specialize in one or more of the following areas: Fluidic analyses and models in matlab, python, or similar tool to determine pressures, flow rates, valve cycle counts, etc. Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) design, analysis and typical mounting arrangements.Orbital Tube Welds (OTW) and metallurgy for stainless steel, aluminum and other common materials.- Document & update testing procedures, test & analysis results, inspection reports, FMEAs, requirement documents, work instructions, etc.
• Deliver efficient designs capable of high-volume production throughput.
• Conduct mechanical peer reviews of models and drawings.

Why We Value You

• You have a Bachelor’s degree in in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline
• You have 8+ years of professional experience in mechanical design and analysis
• You have 8+ years of design experience using CAD & PLM tools (Siemens NX / Teamcenter preferred)
• You have experience with hands-on fabrication, assembly, and/or testing of fluidic components and aerospace hardware
• You have extensive knowledge in material applications and manufacturing processes (machining, welding, brazing, metal forming, and heat treating)
• You can critically analyze problems and are excited by new design challenges
• You are self-motivated and have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• You are comfortable working in a fast-paced, self-driven entrepreneurial workplace where you get your hands dirty working directly with hardware

Desired Multipliers

• You have an advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline
• You have 10+ years of professional experience in mechanical design
• You have experience developing hardware that has been to space, and which successfully operated as intended
• You have experience with high pressure pneumatics/fluid management systems and designs including solenoid valves, piezo valves, and regulators
• You have experience with fluidic analyses and models in matlab, python, or similar tool to determine pressures, flow rates, valve cycle counts, etc.
• You have experience with Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) design, analysis and typical mounting arrangements
• You have experience with Orbital Tube Welds (OTW) and metallurgy for stainless steel, aluminum and other common materials
• You have experience with critical thinking applied to root cause investigation and corrective actions
• You have experience with structural FEA tools (NX Simcenter / NASTRAN preferred)