Mechanical Engineer (Rotary Actuators) - Space Solar

Job description

Mechanical Engineer (Rotary Actuators) - Space Solar Position Details Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA Employment Type: Full-time Department: Starlight Solar Travel: Occasional About Starpath Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. Today, we are building robotic systems that locally produce the essential commodities a lunar civilization will require at extreme scale: water, power, and oxygen. Our ultimate goal is to build and operate a self-sustaining city on Mars. The Role The Starlight team is focused on dramatically improving space solar power to support Starpath's core mission and the greater space economy. Starlight manufactures the lowest cost and highest performance space solar ever, which will power the majority of new satellites built on Earth and all of Starpath's equipment on the Moon and Mars. As a Mechanical Engineer focused on rotary actuators, you will design, analyze, and qualify the rotating mechanisms that deploy and orient Starlight's solar arrays — solar array drive assemblies, deployment hinges, latches, and gimbals — that must operate flawlessly through launch, deployment, and years of continuous motion in the space environment. Responsibilities - Own rotary actuator designs from concept through detailed design, analysis, build, test, and flight — including solar array drive assemblies (SADAs), deployment hinges, dampers, latches, and gimbals - Select and integrate motors, gearheads, bearings, slip rings, and position sensors; size drivetrains for required torque, speed, lifetime, and backlash - Perform mechanism analysis — torque margin, friction budgets, stiffness, backlash, jitter, and life — and verify performance against requirements through hand calculations and FEA - Specify lubrication, materials, and surface treatments suited to vacuum, thermal cycling, and radiation; manage tribology and wear over mission life - Design and execute mechanism qualification and acceptance testing — functional, life, vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, and torque-margin testing - Partner closely with electrical, controls, and avionics teams on motor drive electronics, feedback sensing, and closed-loop control of actuators - Work with manufacturing to design for assembly, alignment, and rate production of precision rotating hardware - Push back on unnecessary complexity — simplify mechanisms, reduce part count, and cut overhead wherever it doesn't add value Required Qualifications - Bachelor's or advanced degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline - 1+ years of mechanism, actuator, or precision mechanical design experience (internship and academic experience applicable) - Proficiency with 3D CAD and the ability to produce detailed engineering drawings with GD&T Preferred Qualifications - Master's degree in an engineering discipline - Hands-on experience designing rotary mechanisms — actuators, gearboxes, gimbals, hinges, or drive assemblies — for flight or other high-reliability applications - Proficiency selecting and integrating brushless DC motors, harmonic drives, planetary gearheads, and precision bearings - Familiarity with space-rated tribology — dry-film and wet lubricants, bearing preload, and life testing under vacuum and thermal cycling - Experience with slip rings, twist capsules, or other rotary power/signal transfer devices - Working knowledge of motor drive electronics, encoders/resolvers, and closed-loop position or velocity control - Experience executing mechanism qualification campaigns — life test, thermal-vacuum, vibration, and shock — and correlating results to analysis - Familiarity with aerospace mechanism standards and practices (e.g., NASA-STD-5017, AIAA mechanisms guidance) - Exposure to solar array deployment systems, SADAs, antenna pointing mechanisms, or similar spacecraft mechanisms - Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments Compensation & Benefits - Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA - Competitive salary plus equity package; compensation scales with candidate experience - PTO & health/dental/vision coverage included EAR REQUIREMENTS: - To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Equal Opportunity Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.