Spacecraft Thermal Engineer II

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ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE
As an end-to-end responsive space company, Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Our small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles allow us to service the entire lifecycle of government and commercial missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. We utilize carbon composite structures, patented propulsion technologies, and common components across our vehicles to iterate quickly, improve reliability, and deliver payloads at a lower cost.

SUMMARY

Firefly Thermal Engineers apply advanced simulation and heat transfer expertise to solve complex spacecraft thermal challenges from concept development through flight operations. Engineers in this role independently own subsystem thermal analyses, develop validated thermal models, and influence engineering decisions through high-quality analytical work.

Successful candidates are expected to drive thermal analyses from problem definition through documentation while collaborating across multiple engineering disciplines.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Independently develop and maintain subsystem and vehicle-level spacecraft thermal models.
• Own thermal analyses from model setup through documentation with minimal oversight.
• Execute thermal trade studies supporting design, integration, testing, and mission operations.
• Develop thermal control solutions including MLI, radiator sizing, heater strategies, coatings, and other passive and active thermal control technologies.
• Coordinate thermal environments with internal engineering teams and external customers.
• Organize and support testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.
• Support the thermal control subsystem on console during launch operations.
• Correlate analytical models using thermal vacuum and environmental test data.
• Break large analytical efforts into actionable tasks while managing priorities across multiple programs.
• Document analysis results for internal and customer design reviews.
• Mentor entry-level engineers by reviewing models, analyses, and reports.
• Identify model sensitivities, uncertainties, and technical risks while recommending mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to process improvements, automation, and modeling best practices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• Approximately 3–8 years of spacecraft or aerospace thermal analysis experience
• Strong experience with Thermal Desktop and related thermal analysis software
• Strong understanding of spacecraft thermal control systems
• Experience correlating analytical models with test data
• Working knowledge of Python and MATLAB
• Excellent technical communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to independently execute complex engineering analyses

Desired

• M.S. degree
• Experience with ANSYS SpaceClaim, NX, or Simcenter
• Experience developing thermal test plans and coordinating thermal vacuum tests
• Familiarity with NASA spacecraft thermal standards
• Experience supporting spacecraft through integration and environmental testing