Mechanical Engineer (Solar)
About the role
Mechanical Engineer (Solar) at Starcloud responsible for designing, developing, and integrating the solar array mechanical systems for space-based data centers. Owns full lifecycle from concept to deployment and orbital operation, collaborating across teams to deliver low-cost, reliable space hardware at scale.
Responsibilities
- Design and develop detailed CAD models from component to spacecraft level, accounting for launch stowed and deployed configurations
- Perform structural, kinematic, and thermal analyses using FEA and hand calculations to ensure survivability and in-orbit performance
- Own the lifecycle of mechanical components from concept through manufacturing, testing, and deployment
- Collaborate on system-level requirements and DFM strategies to optimize manufacturability, cost, and reliability
- Ensure timely project delivery with high quality and performance through pragmatic project management
- Design and execute comprehensive test plans to validate designs under launch and space environments
- Perform environmental and performance testing to demonstrate requirements compliance
- Partner with supply chain and manufacturing teams to establish efficient production processes
- Optimize designs for ease of integration and production
- Collaborate with vendors to ensure flawless delivery and integration of mechanical components
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
- Proficiency with advanced CAD software, ideally NX and Teamcenter
- Experience with FEA software for high-fidelity structural analysis, ideally Ansys
- Minimum of 2+ years of hands-on experience in mechanical design, analysis, testing, and/or manufacturing
- Strong understanding and application of GD&T principles
Skills
Benefits
- Stock options, discretionary bonuses, and other long-term incentives
- Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
- 401(k) retirement plan with company match
- Short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and paid parental leave
- Generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
About Starcloud
Data centers in space
(Formerly known as Lumen Orbit) Starcloud is building data centers in space, initially to provide GPU compute to other satellites, and later to address the rapidly growing demand for energy caused by the deployment of AI. Falling launch costs give us access to abundant energy, passive cooling, and the ability to rapidly scale in space. In Partnership with NVIDIA's Inception Program, we are launching our demonstrator satellite in late 2025, which will have 100x more powerful GPUs than have ever been operated in space.
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