Senior Mechanisms 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 an exceptional Senior Mechanisms Engineer to take end-to-end ownership of spacecraft mechanical systems and moving hardware; not just their design, but their operational performance through launch, orbit, return, refurbishment, and re-flight.

This role exists to produce real flight hardware that deploys, actuates, seals, separates, latches, releases, survives, and operates repeatedly in the harsh realities of spaceflight. Documentation and analysis will support that mission, but the ultimate measure of success is hardware that works reliably in the real world.

You will deliver robust, reusable spacecraft mechanisms capable of repeated missions at high cadence. The role spans deployable systems, hinges, latches, release systems, actuators, thermal-mechanical interfaces, tooling, test equipment, and whatever else is required to make the vehicle function as a complete system.

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Own spacecraft mechanisms from first concept through flight operations and re-flight

• Design moving flight hardware, deployment systems, actuators, interfaces, and mechanical subsystems for a reusable spacecraft

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

• Participate directly in build, integration, environmental testing, flight operations, recovery, and refurbishment

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

You are the responsible engineer for mechanisms and moving hardware that flies. When the vehicle is on the pad, in orbit, re-entering, or back in refurbishment, you own how your systems behave.

Responsibilities include:

• Designing and delivering spacecraft mechanisms, deployable systems, actuation systems, and supporting flight hardware

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

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

• Creating tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and GSE necessary to validate and operate spacecraft mechanisms

• Defining functional requirements, load paths, tolerances, life-cycle behavior, and failure modes of mechanical systems

• Performing tolerance analysis, mechanism sizing, and dynamic assessments to ensure reliable operation across all mission environments

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

• Defining and executing qualification and acceptance testing for moving flight hardware

• Investigating anomalies and implementing corrective design changes

• Managing interfaces across structures, avionics, thermal, propulsion, and vehicle integration teams

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

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• 5+ years developing flight mechanical systems with direct responsibility for hardware performance on satellites, deployment systems, launch vehicles, or hypersonics.
• Hands-on experience designing, building, integrating, and troubleshooting mechanical systems
• Demonstrated ownership of hardware through environmental testing and flight operations
• Strong intuition for mechanical system behavior, tolerance stack-up, friction, wear, preload, and failure modes under real operating conditions
• ​​​​​​​Experience designing mechanisms, deployment systems, latching systems, hinges, release devices, or actuation systems
• Strong GD&T capability (ASME Y14.5)
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (Siemens NX preferred)
• Experience selecting materials, bearings, lubricants, coatings, and manufacturing processes for aerospace hardware
• Ability to operate effectively in fast build-test-iterate environments

• Spacecraft mechanisms or deployable flight systems
• ​​​​​​​Separation systems, release mechanisms, or docking interfaces
• Vacuum-compatible mechanical design and tribology
• Thermal distortion and tolerance-sensitive assemblies
• Pyroshock, vibration, and dynamic deployment environments
• Designing tooling and production fixtures
• Precision assemblies and alignment-sensitive hardware
• Reusable flight systems or refurbishment operations
• 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.

Certain roles may involve access to export-controlled technical data. To comply with U.S. export-control laws, access may be limited to individuals who qualify as a “U.S. person” under 22 C.F.R. §120.62 or who otherwise may lawfully receive such access.