Structures Design Engineer

Space is the bleeding edge for humanity's next industrial revolution. While reusable rockets have opened the door, true economic transformation requires infrastructure that makes orbit as accessible and reliable as air travel. At Lux Aeterna, we're building that future by developing the first reusable satellite platform with controlled return capability - transforming space from a one-way street into a two-way highway for innovation and commerce.

We are seeking a Structures Engineer to take end-to-end ownership of spacecraft hardware — not just its design, but its performance in flight and its readiness to fly again.

This role exists to produce real vehicles that survive launch, orbit, return, refurbishment, and re-flight. You are responsible for making the hardware work in the real world, under real constraints, on real schedules. Analysis, documentation, and drawings exist to support that goal — not replace it.

You will deliver lightweight, reusable spacecraft hardware capable of repeated missions at high cadence. The job spans structures, mechanisms, tooling, fixtures, integration hardware, and whatever else is required to make the vehicle succeed as a system. This role requires end-to-end hardware ownership of your components or subsystem.

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Own spacecraft hardware from first sketch to post-flight inspection and re-launch

• Design flight structures, mechanisms, fixtures, and ground hardware required to operate a reusable spacecraft

• Debug real failures and close the loop through redesign and iteration

• Participate directly in build, test, flight operations, and refurbishment

• Work in a rapid hardware development environment where decisions quickly become flight articles
   

You are the responsible engineer for hardware that flies. When the vehicle is on the pad, in space, or back in the build area, you own how your hardware behaves.

Responsibilities include:

• Designing and delivering primary and secondary structures, mechanisms, and supporting hardware required for flight and refurbishment

• Managing trade studies, developing supplier strategy, and ownership of design/build/deploy schedule, milestones, and blockers.

• Owning hardware through manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, flight, recovery, inspection, and re-flight

• Creating tooling, fixtures, handling equipment, and GSE necessary to build and operate the spacecraft

• Defining load paths, margins, and structural behavior using analysis as a decision tool, not an end product

• Leading build and integration activities and resolving real-time issues

• Defining and executing qualification and acceptance testing

• Investigating anomalies and implementing corrective design changes

• Managing interfaces across the vehicle and ensuring mission-level compatibility

• Working directly with launch providers and internal teams to certify flight readiness

• Iterating hardware based on test and flight data to improve reliability and turnaround time
   

• BS in Mechanical or Structural Engineering

• 5-8 years developing flight or flight-like hardware with direct responsibility for performance

• Hands-on experience building, integrating, and troubleshooting mechanical systems

• Demonstrated ownership of hardware through test or flight operations

• Strong intuition for structural behavior and mechanical systems under real loading conditions

• Working FEA proficiency to support engineering judgement (FEMAP or ANSYS)

• Strong GD&T capability (ASME Y14.5)

• Proficiency in 3D CAD (Siemens NX preferred)

• Experience selecting materials and manufacturing processes for high-performance hardware

• Ability to operate effectively in fast build-test-iterate environments
   

• Experience with reusable flight systems or hardware refurbishment

• Mechanisms, deployment systems, or moving flight hardware

• Designing tooling and production fixtures

• Composite structures and repair

• Reentry, thermal, or fatigue-driven structural environments

• SMC-S-016 and/or NASA GEVS environments

• Early stage hardware startup experience

We are based in Denver, CO and believe in the power of in-person collaboration. We are onsite 5 days/week by default, but flexible when life requires it.