Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer (NASA Moon Base Transportation)

Summary

Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer (NASA Moon Base Transportation)

Onsite at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida

We are seeking a Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to support NASA’s Transportation Engineering Support (TENS) effort and the Moon Base Transportation (MBT) Office at Kennedy Space Center.

This role will provide independent engineering assessment of spacecraft mechanical systems and flight hardware supporting future lunar transportation and sustained Moon operations. Systems may include deployment mechanisms, actuators, latches, release and separation systems, payload restraints, doors, hatches, docking interfaces, and other spacecraft mechanisms.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate spacecraft mechanisms, mechanical systems, and flight hardware throughout design, integration, testing, qualification, and operation
• Review engineering analyses, drawings, CAD models, requirements, test plans, test results, and verification evidence
• Assess mechanism performance including loads, kinematics, clearances, alignment, tolerance stack-ups, interfaces, reliability, and failure modes
• Perform targeted CAD assessments including fit checks, interface evaluations, envelope studies, and tolerance reviews
• Evaluate qualification and environmental testing including vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, deployment, and lifecycle testing
• Investigate mechanical anomalies, interface issues, design changes, and test discrepancies
• Participate in design reviews, test readiness reviews, technical meetings, and engineering working groups
• Communicate technical risks, findings, and recommendations to NASA, commercial partners, and multidisciplinary engineering teams

Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship is required by Federal Law
• Must successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline and 10+ years of relevant mechanical or aerospace engineering experience
• Experience with spacecraft mechanisms, flight hardware, or complex aerospace mechanical systems
• Strong knowledge of mechanical design, loads, kinematics, interfaces, tolerances, bearings, actuators, and structural behavior
• Experience reviewing engineering analyses, drawings, CAD models, and test results
• Experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or comparable CAD software
• Experience supporting aerospace hardware development, integration, testing, or verification
• Strong technical communication and independent engineering judgment
• Ability to work full-time onsite at Kennedy Space Center and travel as required

Desired Qualifications:

• Direct spacecraft, launch vehicle, lunar lander, payload, or other spaceflight hardware experience
• Experience with deployment, latching, separation, docking, berthing, or payload restraint mechanisms
• Experience with vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, qualification, deployment, or lifecycle testing
• Proficiency with Siemens NX and/or SolidWorks
• Familiarity with NASTRAN or similar finite element analysis tools
• Knowledge of NASA flight-hardware development, verification, qualification, and design-review practices

This is an opportunity to contribute directly to the engineering behind NASA’s effort to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon. The Moon Base Transportation Office is helping address the end-to-end challenge of transporting spacecraft, payloads, logistics, infrastructure, and other critical elements from Earth to lunar destinations as NASA develops the transportation capabilities needed to build and sustain future lunar operations.

Company Info:

We are a woman-owned space and technology company headquartered in Houston, TX. Our primary objective is to support the Department of Defense and NASA in achieving their missions to defend the security of our country, reach new heights and to discover the unknown. We employ some of the brightest, most experienced engineering and technology experts in the U.S.

Job Description

Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer (NASA Moon Base Transportation)

Onsite at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida

We are seeking a Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to support NASA’s Transportation Engineering Support (TENS) effort and the Moon Base Transportation (MBT) Office at Kennedy Space Center.

This role will provide independent engineering assessment of spacecraft mechanical systems and flight hardware supporting future lunar transportation and sustained Moon operations. Systems may include deployment mechanisms, actuators, latches, release and separation systems, payload restraints, doors, hatches, docking interfaces, and other spacecraft mechanisms.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate spacecraft mechanisms, mechanical systems, and flight hardware throughout design, integration, testing, qualification, and operation
• Review engineering analyses, drawings, CAD models, requirements, test plans, test results, and verification evidence
• Assess mechanism performance including loads, kinematics, clearances, alignment, tolerance stack-ups, interfaces, reliability, and failure modes
• Perform targeted CAD assessments including fit checks, interface evaluations, envelope studies, and tolerance reviews
• Evaluate qualification and environmental testing including vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, deployment, and lifecycle testing
• Investigate mechanical anomalies, interface issues, design changes, and test discrepancies
• Participate in design reviews, test readiness reviews, technical meetings, and engineering working groups
• Communicate technical risks, findings, and recommendations to NASA, commercial partners, and multidisciplinary engineering teams

Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship is required by Federal Law
• Must successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline and 10+ years of relevant mechanical or aerospace engineering experience
• Experience with spacecraft mechanisms, flight hardware, or complex aerospace mechanical systems
• Strong knowledge of mechanical design, loads, kinematics, interfaces, tolerances, bearings, actuators, and structural behavior
• Experience reviewing engineering analyses, drawings, CAD models, and test results
• Experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or comparable CAD software
• Experience supporting aerospace hardware development, integration, testing, or verification
• Strong technical communication and independent engineering judgment
• Ability to work full-time onsite at Kennedy Space Center and travel as required

Desired Qualifications:

• Direct spacecraft, launch vehicle, lunar lander, payload, or other spaceflight hardware experience
• Experience with deployment, latching, separation, docking, berthing, or payload restraint mechanisms
• Experience with vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, qualification, deployment, or lifecycle testing
• Proficiency with Siemens NX and/or SolidWorks
• Familiarity with NASTRAN or similar finite element analysis tools
• Knowledge of NASA flight-hardware development, verification, qualification, and design-review practices

This is an opportunity to contribute directly to the engineering behind NASA’s effort to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon. The Moon Base Transportation Office is helping address the end-to-end challenge of transporting spacecraft, payloads, logistics, infrastructure, and other critical elements from Earth to lunar destinations as NASA develops the transportation capabilities needed to build and sustain future lunar operations.

Company Info:

We are a woman-owned space and technology company headquartered in Houston, TX. Our primary objective is to support the Department of Defense and NASA in achieving their missions to defend the security of our country, reach new heights and to discover the unknown. We employ some of the brightest, most experienced engineering and technology experts in the U.S.