About this opportunity
Astro Digital lists this Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - 2026Q2 opportunity in littleton, Colorado. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - 2026Q2
Littleton, United States
Astro Digital designs, builds, and operates a diverse range of small satellite systems supporting space-based turnkey missions for several business applications, including Earth observation, communications, in-orbit demonstrations, risk reduction, science, and exploration. Astro Digital is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with roughly 100 employees and infrastructure around the globe.
Position Summary
The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer is responsible for leading the mechanical design of satellite buses (50 kg to 500 kg), from proposals through to final integration prior to launch.
The ideal candidate is a passionate, self‑motivated mechanical design engineer with deep experience in the design of space systems and components. They would be comfortable creating parts in a CAD system, laying out entire bus structures with the guidance of structural engineers, working with thermal engineers to specify coatings and thermal solutions, and creating manufacturing, inspection, and assembly drawings. The candidate should be comfortable with GD&T and tolerancing.
Bonus skills include experience with mechanism design and testing, including design calculations such as tolerance and torque margin analysis.
In addition to design responsibilities, the candidate would be able to assist more junior mechanical engineers in layout and component design, drawing creation, and mechanical test planning and execution.
Minimum Qualifications
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field
7-15 years of experience as a mechanical design engineer in the aerospace field
Proficiency (>5,000 hrs) in one or more CAD systems (Solidworks or Onshape preferred)
Proficiency creating part and assembly drawings
Comfort with CAD version control /PDM systems and release processes
Comfort performing design calculations and basic FEA analyses
Self‑motivated work ethic with a desire to learn new aspects of mechanical design of satellites
Willingness and ability to assist and shepherd less experienced engineers
Good written, verbal, and virtual communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supervising or mentoring junior engineers, including participating in reviews of designs and drawings
Experience working concurrently with structural and thermal engineers to develop designs
Familiarity with standards such as NASA-STD-5020 (bolted joints), AIAA‑S‑114 (mechanisms), NASA-STD-5017 (mechanisms), NASA-STD-7000 (environments)
Familiarity with SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare requirements
Possesses a solid understanding of thermal environments and effects
Benefits
Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance options, 401k matching, 10 floating holidays, 5 sick days, and 3 weeks (15 days) of PTO per year.
This position requires access to export‑controlled commodities, technical data, technology, software, and services. U.S. citizenship, U.S. legal permanent resident status, or protected person status under 22 CFR §120.15 and 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3) is required.
Job Type: Full Time
Salary Range: $130k – 150k annually
Location: Hybrid (minimum 2-3 days/wk onsite) in Littleton, CO
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Worksite address
littleton, CO, 80161, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.