About the role
Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.
Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.
Senior Propulsion Engineer
As our Senior Propulsion Engineer, you will be a leader in designing, building, and testing our propulsion systems. You will use your experience to improve the performance of our systems, design propulsion systems from clean sheet, and to provide mentorship to younger engineers on the team. You will be a part of the test and production of many satellites that will provide service to underserved areas.
Role
- Become a technical leader and help shape the future of propulsion systems at Astranis
- Design, analyze, and document in-space propulsion systems to meet existing and future mission requirements
- Define and execute on qualification campaigns for propulsion components and systems
- Establish how we fly and operate our spacecrafts for 10+ years
- Develop strong relationships with vendors, ensuring their hardware meets our flight requirements before arriving at the factory
- Support assembly integration and test processes through launch including troubleshooting issues with spacecraft propulsion system
- Work across teams to solve problems and meet goals in a highly collaborative work environment
- Mentor entry level engineers and interns and support hiring initiatives
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree or higher in a technical discipline (e.g. engineering, physics) or equivalent experience
- 7+ years of propulsion industry experience in a design, test, or manufacture related role
- Experience with 3D CAD, mechanical design, fabrication, and environmental qualification
- Previous aerospace or similar product design and production experience (full product development cycle)
- Hands-on experience working with fluid or gas feed systems
- Working knowledge of in space electric and chemical propulsion systems
Bonus
- Experience with propulsion or fluid component design
- Direct experience with structural or fluid analysis tools (GFSSP, ANSYS, Fluent, etc)
- Familiarity with AFSPCMAN 91-710 and other Range Safety documentation and requirements
- Experience writing Python for scientific calculation and data processing
- Familiarity with mission operations for satellites
- Specific experience with low thrust monopropellant, green monopropellant, and electric propulsion systems
Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.
Aplyr's read
Astranis is revolutionizing satellite communications by delivering affordable internet to underserved regions, attracting engineers passionate about bridging the digital divide.
What's promising
- •Astranis focuses on affordable internet access for underserved regions, addressing a critical global need.
- •The company develops small, low-cost satellites, reducing deployment costs and increasing accessibility.
- •Astranis offers diverse engineering roles, providing opportunities for career growth in aerospace technology.
What to watch
- •The satellite communications market is highly competitive, posing challenges for Astranis.
- •High initial investment in satellite technology can strain financial resources.
- •Limited public information about Astranis' long-term financial sustainability.
Why Astranis
- •Astranis specializes in small, low-cost satellites, differentiating them from traditional large satellite providers.
- •The company's mission to bridge the digital divide is central to its operations.
- •Astranis' focus on underserved regions sets it apart in the satellite communications industry.
Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?
About Astranis
Astranis Space Technologies is a satellite communications company that focuses on providing affordable internet access to underserved regions around the world. By developing small, low-cost satellites, they aim to bridge the digital divide and enhance connectivity in remote areas.
Similar roles
Sr. Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Data Lake, Anomaly Detection
Zscaler
Principal Forward Deployed AI Engineer
Turing
AI Security - Field AI Engineer
Cato Networks
AI Research Engineer - Datadog AI Research (DAIR)
Datadog
Founding Forward Deployed Engineer - WorkOS - Enterprise Agentic AI
Careem
Principal AI Engineer
DriveWealth