Senior Solar Array Engineer, Mechanical

Vast is looking for a Senior Solar Array Engineer, Mechanical, reporting to the Principal Power Systems Engineer, to support the design, analysis, build, and test of mechanisms for solar array deployment and articulation on human-rated space stations.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

Design and analyze mechanisms for solar array deployment, including spring-driven hinges, latches, dampers, and hold-down/release devices

Design and analyze mechanisms for solar array articulation, including motorized gimbals, gear trains, bearings, and drive electronics interfaces

Build and maintain torque budgets for deployment and articulation mechanisms, including friction, harness resistance, disturbance torques, and margin verification per NASA-STD-5017B

Select and specify bearings, lubricants, motors, gearboxes, encoders/resolvers, and other drivetrain components for the space environment

Perform or support mechanism life analysis — bearing life, lubricant life, wear analysis — and define qualification test programs to demonstrate life margin

Design for integration and test — develop deployment test procedures, gravity offload approaches, and workmanship screens

Interface with structures, thermal, GN&C, and power teams to ensure mechanisms meet system-level requirements (deployed stiffness, pointing accuracy, disturbance torques, power transfer across rotating joints)

Support environmental test campaigns (vibration, thermal vacuum, shock, life testing) per SMC-S-016

Perform or support failure analysis, root cause investigation, and mechanism anomaly resolution

Participate in design reviews, FMEA/FMECA, and technical documentation for internal and NASA deliverables

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related discipline

5–10 years of experience designing, building, and testing electromechanical systems — preferably mechanisms for spacecraft, satellites, or robotic systems

Demonstrated experience with mechanism design fundamentals: bearings, gears, motors, springs, fasteners, and structural load paths

Ability to build and defend a torque budget or force budget for a mechanism from first principles

Experience with environmental testing of mechanical hardware (vibration, thermal cycling, life testing)

Hands-on experience — you have built, assembled, or integrated the hardware you designed

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience with spring-driven deployable mechanisms — hinges, latches, dampers, hold-down/release devices. Understanding of deployment torque margin verification and ground test challenges (gravity offload, thermal effects on torque budget)

Experience with motorized mechanisms — gimbals, solar array drive assemblies (SADAs), antenna positioners, or robotic actuators. Familiarity with BLDC motors, stepper motors, gearbox types (planetary, harmonic drive, cycloidal), and anti-backlash techniques

Knowledge of tribology for the space environment — solid film lubricants (MoS₂, WS₂), space-rated greases (Braycote, Pennzane), lubricant life analysis, and the challenges of ground testing vs. on-orbit performance

Familiarity with NASA-STD-5017B (mechanism design and analysis) including torque margin requirements and life testing philosophy

Experience with bearing design for space mechanisms — angular contact bearing configurations, preload methods, thermal effects on preload, and lubrication-limited life analysis

Understanding of control and feedback architecture for pointing mechanisms — encoders, resolvers, motor-side vs. load-side feedback, backlash compensation

Familiarity with FBD construction and deployment dynamics — conservation of angular momentum, spacecraft disturbance torques during deployment, and ACS interaction

Familiarity with SMC-S-016 or GEVS environmental test requirements

CAD experience in NX or similar (Teamcenter experience is a plus)

Experience with analysis tools — hand calculations, MATLAB/Python for mechanism dynamics, FEA for structural assessment of mechanism components

Additional Requirements:

Ability to travel up to 50% of the time

Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted

Specific certifications, as appropriate

Pay Range: California

$112,340—$230,472 USD