Space Forge is a fast growing advanced materials company. Our goal is to exploit the extreme temperature, microgravity and ultra-high vacuum conditions available in low earth orbit (LEO) to manufacture materials that cannot readily be grown terrestrially. Returning these materials to earth, we aim to revolutionise the semiconductor market and to make space work for humanity. To achieve this we have developed a range of technologies including the world’s first returnable and reusable satellite platform, the ForgeStar®.

We are looking to hire a Structural Engineer to join our Thermo-Mechanical team. You will be responsible for the structural development and verification of our platform and its subsystems to enable the development of new materials and processes at the forefront of in-space manufacturing.

What will you do?

• Contribute to the structural modelling of our mechanical systems, subsystems and components for integration into our satellites;
• Verify the structural design and vibration performance of subsystems from concept to vibration testing;
• Focus on developing structures and mechanisms for our payload and verify their vibration performance.
• Support the configuration team in the design and configuration of Space Forge’s mechanical systems;
• Assist and lead testing campaigns to verify our technologies.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct finite element model (FEM) analyses of the ForgeStar system and constituent subsystems.
• Development of a subsystem’s structural designs and mechanisms, from concept phase to design validation and qualification.
• Support system and subsystem vibration testing and validate simulation results using test data.
• Create models and conduct testing in accordance with relevant industry standards.
• Review other simulation engineers’ calculations and structural FEMs.
• Engage with internal and external system providers to ensure compatibility with the whole system.
• Document analysis results and test procedures and results for internal and external customers.
• Assist with monitoring the performance of hardware on test days and during space missions.

A Typical Day

• Creating mechanical and thermo-mechanical models of our satellite structure for launch and re-entry cases.
• Performing vibration analysis of our satellite and its subsystems.
• Reviewing concepts and design options with configuration and manufacturing engineers.
• Working closely with the engineering team and subsystem teams to solve problems and refine baselines.