Thermal Engineer for space propulsion systems

Description

Dawn Aerospace is looking for a thermal engineer to join our in-space propulsion Systems R&D team in Delft. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an exciting, fast-growing company in the space industry and develop world-leading in-space propulsion technology for small- and medium-sized satellites. We offer a fast-paced environment, where you see your work fly in record time.

This role will involve development, improvement, and qualification of thermal control systems for spacecraft propulsion and in-orbit refueling. You will work on introducing new or improved components, technologies, tools, and processes for these systems, working together with other subsystem teams. You will own designing, analysing and testing thermal control on propulsion flight systems, occasionally iterating the designs with our customers.

The thermal engineering for propulsion systems is closely related to fluidic management. Therefore, familiarity with fluidic analysis (e.g. CFD), particularly under micro-gravity conditions, is a strong asset.

We are looking for result-oriented candidates who can take the initiative, multi-task and work with minimal direction.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of thermal control system for in-space propulsion systems. This includes the complete lifecycle – from initial design through detailed design and analysis, production, system testing, and support to in-orbit operations. Being the “go to” person for thermal control.
• Define the thermal design and verification standard for our in-space propulsion systems. This shall include thermal sizing tools for internal use, thermal ICDs, thermal modelling approach, and thermal verification test approach.
• Develop thermal mathematical models (TMMs) for the complete . Use the models to perform thermal analysis as part of design and verification. Correlate the models to results of thermal tests.
• Participate in thermal design iterations with customers.
• Support assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of thermal hardware for our propulsion systems.
• Support resolution of thermal anomalies during ground testing and in flight.
• Validate and correlate thermal models with in-orbit data. We have accumulated wealth of unique in-orbit data, which waits for you to analyse and derive thermal modelling insights.

Qualifications

• An MSc. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar.
• 2+ years of experience in thermal engineering of space hardware.
• Experience with thermal analysis software (ESATAN, Thermica, Thermal Desktop, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience with at least 1 thermal test campaign (thermal cycling, thermal balance, etc.) for space hardware.
• Be willing and eager to perform hands-on work in our workshops, such as developing test setups and performing (R&D) tests. If something is ambiguous, test it.
• Experience in working with multidisciplinary teams.

Desired Experience

• Experience with spacecraft thermal control systems.
• Experience with Python.
• Working in a geographically widespread team.
• Experience with rapid development cycles – design, build, test in 3 months.
• Experience with fluid mechanics analysis under micro-gravity conditions is a strong asset.
• Experience with thruster plume analysis is a strong asset.

Note that the role is a permanent position that will start with a fixed-term contract of 12 months. 

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

• In-space propulsion
  We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
• In-space servicing
  Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensue a clean and safe space for everyone! 
• Spaceplane
  We are developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.

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Important!

If you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

To all recruitment agencies: Dawn Aerospace does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, our employees, or any other company location. Dawn Aerospace will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.