Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer - NASA Lunar Systems

Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer

NASA Lunar Systems

Kennedy Space Center, FL

$140,000 - $155,000/Yearly

U.S. Citizenship is required by Federal Law

We are hiring a Senior Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL, supporting the Transportation Engineering Support (TENS) effort and Moon Base Transportation (MBT) Office. This role supports NASA's lunar transportation and spacecraft engineering initiatives through independent technical assessments of flight hardware, deployment mechanisms, mechanical interfaces, CAD models, engineering analyses, and qualification testing using Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or comparable CAD software.

The position focuses on evaluating spacecraft mechanical systems that enable payload deployment, separation, docking, berthing, restraint, and other critical lunar mission operations. You will assess spacecraft mechanisms throughout design, manufacturing, integration, verification, testing, and operation, working with multidisciplinary engineering teams to evaluate technical risks, mechanical performance, reliability, and flight readiness.

Responsibilities:

• Provide independent engineering assessments of spacecraft mechanisms, mechanical systems, and associated flight hardware supporting NASA lunar transportation missions.
• Evaluate spacecraft-provider designs, engineering analyses, manufacturing processes, verification plans, test programs, and operational concepts to identify technical risks and assess design maturity.
• Assess deployment mechanisms, hinges, latches, actuators, release and separation systems, payload restraints, doors, hatches, docking and berthing interfaces, movable structures, and mechanical assemblies.
• Analyze mechanism kinematics, loads, clearances, alignment, tolerance stack-ups, design margins, mechanical interfaces, reliability, lifecycle performance, and potential failure modes.
• Review mechanical drawings, CAD models, interface definitions, engineering requirements, analysis reports, test plans, test results, and verification evidence for technical adequacy.
• Perform independent mechanical engineering analyses to validate design assumptions, evaluate performance margins, investigate technical risks, and assess proposed design changes.
• Conduct CAD-based fit checks, envelope and volume evaluations, center-of-mass assessments, mechanical interface reviews, and tolerance analyses using Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or comparable CAD tools.
• Prepare, modify, defeature, and export CAD geometry to support structural, thermal, fluid, contamination, and integrated spacecraft engineering analyses.
• Coordinate with structures, loads and dynamics, thermal, electrical, materials, contamination, space environments, and mission design engineers to assess multidisciplinary system interactions.
• Evaluate spacecraft mechanism performance under launch loads, vibration, shock, thermal extremes, vacuum, contamination, and other operational environments.
• Assess mechanism qualification, acceptance, deployment, lifecycle, functional, and environmental testing, including test configurations, instrumentation, acceptance criteria, results, and anomalies.
• Determine whether engineering analyses and verification testing adequately demonstrate mechanism functionality, reliability, performance margins, and flight readiness.
• Investigate mechanical anomalies, unexpected deployments, interface discrepancies, nonconformances, test failures, and proposed hardware modifications.
• Evaluate the effects of mechanical system designs and changes on integrated spacecraft performance, mission requirements, and operational reliability.
• Participate in NASA technical interchange meetings, engineering design reviews, test readiness reviews, test-result reviews, and multidisciplinary working groups.
• Prepare and communicate technical findings, engineering assumptions, risk assessments, design margins, and recommendations to NASA stakeholders and commercial spacecraft partners.
• Manage concurrent engineering assessments and technical priorities to support program schedules and mission requirements.
• Travel to NASA centers, spacecraft-provider facilities, integration sites, and test facilities as required.

Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship required by law or government contract
• Active Secret Clearance Required
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited university.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant mechanical or aerospace engineering experience.
• Demonstrated experience with mechanical systems, spacecraft mechanisms, flight hardware, or complex mechanical assemblies.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical engineering fundamentals, including loads, kinematics, structural behavior, mechanical interfaces, tolerance stack-ups, fasteners, bearings, actuators, and mechanical design practices.
• Experience reviewing and evaluating engineering designs, mechanical analyses, technical drawings, CAD models, test results, and supporting engineering documentation.
• Experience developing, reviewing, modifying, or manipulating mechanical CAD models using Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or comparable software.
• Experience supporting the design, development, integration, testing, or verification of complex aerospace hardware.
• Ability to independently assess complex engineering data, identify technical risks and questionable design assumptions, and develop technically supported conclusions and recommendations.
• Ability to communicate technical assessments, engineering risks, and recommendations to multidisciplinary engineering teams, NASA stakeholders, and commercial partners.
• Experience managing multiple technical assignments and coordinating engineering activities across multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work full-time onsite at Kennedy Space Center, FL, and travel to NASA centers, spacecraft-provider facilities, and other program locations as required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct engineering experience with spacecraft, launch vehicles, lunar landers, payloads, or other spaceflight hardware.
• Experience with spacecraft deployment mechanisms, latching systems, actuators, release and separation mechanisms, payload restraints, doors, hatches, docking and berthing interfaces, and movable mechanical assemblies.
• Experience supporting flight hardware design, development, integration, qualification, acceptance testing, or operational activities.
• Experience evaluating mechanism kinematics, structural loads, lifecycle requirements, alignment, clearances, tolerance stack-ups, reliability, and failure modes.
• Knowledge of spacecraft mechanism components, including bearings, gears, motors, springs, dampers, lubrication systems, and tribology.
• Experience with spacecraft environmental and functional testing, including vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, deployment, lifecycle, qualification, and acceptance testing.
• Experience evaluating test instrumentation, hardware configurations, performance criteria, anomalous results, and correlation between analytical predictions and test data.
• Experience with spacecraft docking, berthing, payload accommodation, cargo handling, separation systems, or related mechanical interfaces.
• Proficiency with Siemens NX and/or SolidWorks CAD software.
• Familiarity with finite element analysis (FEA) tools, including NASTRAN or comparable engineering analysis software.
• Working knowledge of NASA mechanical design, structural analysis, requirements development, verification, qualification, and flight hardware engineering practices.
• Experience providing independent engineering assessments, technical oversight, design reviews, or engineering insight for aerospace or spaceflight programs.
• Familiarity with applicable NASA mechanical, structural, spacecraft mechanisms, and flight hardware design standards.
• Systems engineering experience evaluating mechanical hardware within integrated spacecraft, launch vehicle, or lunar transportation systems

Moseley Technical Services, Inc. is an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled Employer.