Design and maintain ground support equipment for spacecraft assembly and testing at Astranis in San Francisco.
Posted by employer 2 years ago
First seen on Joblaze 7 hours ago
Last verified on the company career page 7 hours ago
Skills & Technologies
What you'll build
- Design mechanical fixtures and tooling for spacecraft assembly
- Manage configuration and documentation of ground support equipment
- Collaborate with design engineering and production
- Perform mechanical analysis for tooling stability and safety
- Develop maintenance plans for test fixtures and tooling
Must have
- Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering
- 2+ years professional experience in mechanical design
- Hands-on experience with large assemblies
- Proficiency in 3D CAD
- Attention to detail
Nice to have
- Familiarity with industry safety standards
- Experience using FEA software
- Experience with automation or hydraulics
- Experience designing ground support equipment
Practical constraints
- U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency required
Requirements
- Experience
- 2+ years
- Education
- Bachelor's degree
- Visa
- No sponsorship (stated in posting)
Not disclosed in this posting: work arrangement.
Benefits
Joblaze summary
The Spacecraft Mechanical Ground Support Equipment Engineer at Astranis is tasked with the design, fabrication, and maintenance of essential ground support equipment for spacecraft operations. This role requires proficiency in mechanical design and analysis, particularly with large assemblies, and familiarity with 3D CAD tools. Ideal candidates will have a background in mechanical engineering with at least two years of relevant experience, and a strong focus on detail and cross-functional collaboration. Astranis is a rapidly growing company, emphasizing a hands-on approach to hardware development in a fast-paced environment.
Joblaze insights
- Listed today — first seen on Joblaze October 15, 2026. Last confirmed on Astranis's careers page October 15, 2026.
- Salary band is below the typical range for comparable tech roles (median ~$129,200).
- Starts above 64% of 59 comparable mid other roles in United States that list Mechanical Engineering we track (median $100,000 across 14 companies).
- Mechanical Engineering appears in 4.4% of 3066 comparable mid other roles in United States; FEA appears in 1% of 3066 comparable mid other roles in United States.
Quick facts
- What's the salary range?
- Astranis lists $110,000–$145,000 for this role.
- How much experience is required?
- At least 2 years of relevant experience for this Spacecraft Mechanical Ground Support Equipment Engineer role.
- What's the tech stack?
- Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: 3D CAD, FEA, Mechanical Engineering, PDM, PLM.
- What seniority level is this role?
- Astranis targets mid-level candidates for this position.
- Is this full-time or contract?
- Full-time for this Spacecraft Mechanical Ground Support Equipment Engineer role at Astranis.
From the original posting
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.
Tooling Engineer - Ground Support Equipment (GSE)
As a GSE design engineer at Astranis, you'll be responsible for designing, fabricating, and maintaining various ground support equipment, fixtures, and tooling for spacecraft assembly, test, lifting, and handling. You will not only manage the design and fabrication, but also act as a key stakeholder in defining and enabling the mechanical integration flow of our vehicles through our factory. You will play a vital role in scaling our production rate safely and efficiently.
Role
- Own the cradle-to-grave design, analysis, fabrication and commissioning of mechanical fixtures and tooling required for spacecraft assembly, integration, testing, lifting and handling.
- Manage the configuration, documentation and lifecycle of all ground support equipment using PLM/PDM systems.
- Define, trade, and develop concepts for tooling interfaces and operating procedures.
- Collaborate with design engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications, qualification plans, and introduce to production.
- Collaborate with external vendors and contractors during the design, fabrication, testing and commissioning phases of large-scale tooling.
- Perform mechanical analysis via hand calculations and FEA to ensure tooling meets stability, structural and safety requirements.
- Produce quick-turn or prototype tooling to unblock late-breaking production roadblocks.
- Develop operation, proof-testing, and preventative maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling.
Requirements
- Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical discipline
- 2+ years professional experience in mechanical design, analysis and fabrication of hardware
- Hands-on experience with handling, lifting, or integration of large, complex assemblies
- Proficiency in 3D CAD and experienced in creating detailed drawing packages per ASME Y14.5
- A passion for hardware development, thriving in a fast-pace environment and hands-on design and development
- Strong cross-functional communication and organizational skills, with a meticulous attention to detail
- Ability to handle multiple tasks and shifting high-level priorities
Bonus
- Familiarity with industry safety and structural design standards such as AISC-360, ACI-318, the Aluminum Design Manual (ADM), AWS-D1.1 & D1.2, NASA-STD-5005, ASME B30 (Rigging/Lifting), or OSHA regulations
- Experience using FEA software (e.g. Ansys, Nastran, Femap) for static and dynamic structural loading
- Experience with automation, pneumatics, hydraulics or basic controls
- Strong sense of accountability, integrity, and team focus with extensive multitasking and organizational experience
- Creative, passionate problem solver that thrives in fast-paced, autonomously-drive, and demanding design and integration campaigns
- Experience designing ground support equipment for aerospace applications or applications of similar scale
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.
Astranis SMS Terms of Service
-
Recruiting Updates: By opting in, you agree to receive SMS updates, interview coordination, and recruiting communications from Astranis Space Technologies Corp.
Standard company text repeated across Astranis's postings is omitted here.