Spacecraft Mechanical Ground Support Equipment Engineer

Tooling Engineer - Ground Support Equipment (GSE)

As a GSE design engineer at Astranis, you'll be responsible for designing, fabricating, and maintaining various ground support equipment, fixtures, and tooling for spacecraft assembly, test, lifting, and handling. You will not only manage the design and fabrication, but also act as a key stakeholder in defining and enabling the mechanical integration flow of our vehicles through our factory. You will play a vital role in scaling our production rate safely and efficiently.

Role

• Own the cradle-to-grave design, analysis, fabrication and commissioning of mechanical fixtures and tooling required for spacecraft assembly, integration, testing, lifting and handling.
• Manage the configuration, documentation and lifecycle of all ground support equipment using PLM/PDM systems.
• Define, trade, and develop concepts for tooling interfaces and operating procedures.
• Collaborate with design engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications, qualification plans, and introduce to production.
• Collaborate with external vendors and contractors during the design, fabrication, testing and commissioning phases of large-scale tooling.
• Perform mechanical analysis via hand calculations and FEA to ensure tooling meets stability, structural and safety requirements.
• Produce quick-turn or prototype tooling to unblock late-breaking production roadblocks.
• Develop operation, proof-testing, and preventative maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling.

Requirements

• Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical discipline
• 2+ years professional experience in mechanical design, analysis and fabrication of hardware
• Hands-on experience with handling, lifting, or integration of large, complex assemblies
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and experienced in creating detailed drawing packages per ASME Y14.5
• A passion for hardware development, thriving in a fast-pace environment and hands-on design and development
• Strong cross-functional communication and organizational skills, with a meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and shifting high-level priorities

Bonus

• Familiarity with industry safety and structural design standards such as AISC-360, ACI-318, the Aluminum Design Manual (ADM), AWS-D1.1 & D1.2, NASA-STD-5005, ASME B30 (Rigging/Lifting), or OSHA regulations
• Experience using FEA software (e.g. Ansys, Nastran, Femap) for static and dynamic structural loading
• Experience with automation, pneumatics, hydraulics or basic controls
• Strong sense of accountability, integrity, and team focus with extensive multitasking and organizational experience
• Creative, passionate problem solver that thrives in fast-paced, autonomously-drive, and demanding design and integration campaigns
• Experience designing ground support equipment for aerospace applications or applications of similar scale