Spacecraft Thermal Engineer

Role: Spacecraft Thermal Engineer

Function: Thermal Engineering / Hardware Engineering

Location: Bengaluru, India

Type: Full-time

Industry: Aviation & Aerospace / Commercial Space / Satellite Technology

About Company

A venture-backed space startup founded in 2023. The company builds low-cost, reliable ADCS components — reaction wheels, star trackers, and torque rods — for LEO satellite applications.

It serves satellite manufacturers and space mission developers, helping them cut lead times and costs. With $2.2M in funding and a seed-stage team of 6 engineers, the company operates across the US and Bengaluru.

Its founder brings hardware scaling experience from Tesla, Ethicon, Apollo Fusion, and Planet.

Position Overview

The company is seeking an experienced Spacecraft Thermal Engineer to join its hardware-focused team. This role covers thermal design, modeling, and testing of ADCS components and satellite systems, ensuring proper thermal control from launch through LEO operations. It offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge space hardware while helping establish thermal engineering processes at a fast-growing space startup.

Role & Responsibilities

• Perform thermal analysis of varying fidelity on satellite components, ADCS subsystems, batteries, and high-powered electronics
• Conduct detailed thermal analysis and hand calculations to specify thermal environments, limits, and margins
• Support design trades balancing performance margins, resource use, risk, cost, and schedule constraints
• Design and execute thermal validation plans for complete spacecraft mission lifecycles at system and module levels
• Design thermal management subsystems and evaluate, procure, and test thermal solutions including heaters and heat pipes
• Build and execute simulations to understand on-orbit thermal performance of spacecraft systems
• Develop integration and assembly processes, install thermal hardware, and design thermal verification approaches

Must Have Criteria

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering field
• 1–3 years of experience in thermal design and analysis for aerospace or space applications
• Hands-on experience with Ansys Thermal Desktop for thermal modeling and simulation
• Experience designing and executing thermal tests for spacecraft or satellite components
• Strong understanding of heat transfer principles and mechanical/system engineering fundamentals
• Experience performing thermal validation testing, including Thermal Vacuum Chamber tests
• Proven ability to perform detailed thermal analysis and hand calculations for system specifications

Nice to Have

• Previous experience working at space startups or satellite manufacturers
• Experience with ADCS components such as reaction wheels, star trackers, or torque rods
• Knowledge of LEO satellite thermal environments and mission requirements
• Experience with other thermal analysis software tools (SINDA/FLUINT, FloTHERM)
• Background in thermal interface materials, surface coatings, and passive thermal control systems

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape thermal engineering processes at a fast-growing space startup
• Direct impact on revolutionary ADCS components serving the commercial space industry
• Collaborative environment with experienced engineers from high-volume manufacturing scaleups
• Exposure to cutting-edge space hardware development and testing
• Growth opportunities in the rapidly expanding commercial space ecosystem