Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Design
Astranis
$110,000 - $160,000 / year
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Description
Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.
With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.
Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.
Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Design
Role
- Design, evaluate, procure, assemble, and test primary structure, bracketry, and/or mechanisms for Astranis spacecraft. Components include composite and metallic parts and assemblies with a variety of manufacturing techniques.
- Develop requirements for components and systems including loads, interfaces, and functional requirements.
- Perform mechanical and thermal analysis for spacecraft systems
- Integrate parts and systems into the spacecraft by working together with the rest of the team, and document and develop procedures to improve the build process in the future.
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent
- 2-4 years of mechanical design or equivalent experience
- Experience with CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and GD&T
- Demonstrated fundamentals with mechanical and thermal analytic abilities; FEA experience is not required, but preferred
- A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development
- Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.
Bonus
- Experience with spaceflight structures and/or mechanisms
- Experience with mechanical and/or thermal FEA
- Experience with composite structures
- Experience in designing in a vacuum environment with large temperature swings
- Experience with vibration environments
- Electromechanical design experience
Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.
Astranis SMS Terms of Service
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Recruiting Updates: By opting in, you agree to receive SMS updates, interview coordination, and recruiting communications from Astranis Space Technologies Corp.
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Opt-Out: You can cancel this service at any time by replying STOP. We will send one final text confirming your unsubscription.
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Opt-In Again: To resume receiving messages, reply START or YES.
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Support & Rates: For assistance, reply HELP or contact us at coordinators@astranis.com. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies; carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
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Privacy: For details on how we protect your data, view our Privacy Policy.
Benefits
- Recruiting Updates: By opting in, you agree to receive SMS updates, interview coordination, and recruiting communications from Astranis Space Technologies Corp.
- Opt-Out: You can cancel this service at any time by replying STOP . We will send one final text confirming your unsubscription.
- Opt-In Again: To resume receiving messages, reply START or YES .
- Support & Rates: For assistance, reply HELP or contact us at coordinators@astranis.com. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies; carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
- Privacy: For details on how we protect your data, view our Privacy Policy .
About this role
Astranis designs and operates satellites for government and enterprise customers with demanding requirements around security and uptime. As a CAD Engineer, you'd own the detailed design work on spacecraft components—brackets, harnesses, propulsion manifolds, waveguides—translating engineering concepts into production-ready models and drawings. The role involves modeling and configuring assemblies in SolidWorks, managing bills of materials, reviewing drawings for accuracy, and documenting design practices that keep the team efficient as the company scales rapidly.
You'll need 1–3 years in a design role with solid SolidWorks and GD&T fundamentals. Spacecraft experience is a bonus but not required; what matters more is genuine interest in hardware development and comfort working hands-on in a fast-moving environment. The position is based in San Francisco and requires in-office presence. You'll also help recruit and interview new team members as the engineering group grows.
The compensation package includes base salary of $105,000–$130,000, equity via stock options, company-subsidized healthcare, 401(k) matching, flexible PTO, and on-site meals. U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or protected refugee/asylee status is required due to export regulations on space technology.
How this employer is doing
solid
- News: Recently Raised Funding
- Hiring Mentioned
- Recently Raised Funding
In the news
Astranis Hires Dentons for Defense Spending Lobbying, Legis1
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Pay for this role
$110,000 to $160,000 per year
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