Mechanical Test Engineer, Deployable Antenna Structures

What you will do:

• Own the antenna assembly’s mechanical deployment test program, from test requirements and procedures through fixture development, test execution, data reduction, and reporting.
• Design, build, and improve gravity-offload and support fixtures for large flexible structures. Characterize rig friction and compliance so their effects can be separated from antenna behavior.
• Set up and run physical deployment tests. Measure force and torque profiles, boom tip trajectories, deployment timing, and deployed shape using appropriate instrumentation and optical measurement methods.
• Investigate unexpected motion, inconsistent deployment, and geometry outliers through inspection, measurements, and controlled follow-up tests.
• Establish deployment repeatability against defined requirements, and characterize sensitivity to sequencing, temperature, and lubricant state where required by the test plan.
• Work with the deployment mechanism team to characterize actuator output and locked-state stiffness and backlash.
• Coordinate subsystem testing and assembly-level deployment testing with the responsible engineers.
• Work with the IAS structures analyst to correlate test results with the structural and deployment models, quantify ground-test artifacts, and bound what the results establish about flight deployment.

Required qualifications:

• BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent practical engineering experience.
• Hands-on experience testing physical mechanisms or deployable hardware, with clear examples of personally setting up, operating, measuring, and troubleshooting hardware.
• Practical mechanical judgment: able to reason about forces, motion, friction, stiffness, alignment, and the influence of a test fixture on the hardware being measured.
• Experience developing test procedures and using force, torque, motion, or optical measurement instrumentation to obtain repeatable data.
• Ability to investigate an anomaly systematically and explain what the evidence supports, what remains uncertain, and what to test next.
• Understanding that a ground test under gravity does not automatically reproduce flight deployment conditions.
• This is a fast-paced, high-impact environment - flexibility to occasionally work extended hours or weekends during critical periods is expected.
• Additional information
• This is a full time, exempt position, based out of our Arlington, TX office. The total compensation packaged will be determined by various factors such as your relevant job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We are redefining how satellites are designed, manufactured and used—so we’re looking for candidates with passion, deep knowledge and direct experience on LEO satellite component development, design and in-orbit activities. If that’s your experience – then we’ll be immediately wow-ed. E-Space is not currently able to provide employment sponsorship for candidates who do not hold work authorization for the location of this role.
• As a member of our team, you will play a crucial role in driving our success. Our team members have a strong sense of dedication and responsibility; this includes a strong commitment to our mission to create an entirely new suite of global capabilities to improve lives, business efficiencies and build a smarter planet. This means that there will be times when extra hours, including nights and weekends, may be needed to meet critical deadlines and mission goals. In return, we offer a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and the chance to make a meaningful impact in a high-growth industry.
• An opportunity to really make a difference
• Sustainability at our core
• Fair and honest workplace
• Innovative thinking is encouraged
• Competitive salaries
• Continuous learning and development
• Health and wellness care options
• Financial solutions for the future
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off

Preferred qualifications:

• Deployment testing of antennas, solar arrays, booms, or other flexible flight structures.
• Design or operation of gravity-offload rigs, including characterization of friction and support compliance.
• Experience with deployable booms (rollable, telescoping, hinged, or coilable lattice) and membrane or other tensioned deployable hardware.
• Photogrammetry or other optical measurement of deployed shape and motion.
• Experience with mechanism friction and lubrication across temperature ranges, thermal-vacuum deployment tests, or deployment model-test correlation.
• Optional legal services (US only)

Additional information