Mechanical Engineer | Deployable Radiators

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth.

Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure.

The Role

As a Mechanical Engineer – Deployable Radiators, you will be the responsible engineer for the large deployable radiators that reject heat from our on-orbit compute payload and integrate the spacecraft’s liquid cooling loop. This is a structures-first, hands-on role: you will own the structural design of the radiator panels, the mechanisms that stow, restrain, and deploy them, and the thermal integration that turns them into a working radiator. You will own this hardware end to end, from concept and analysis through the ground testbeds used to prove it out, qualification, and on-orbit deployment.

These are large, load-bearing structures that must survive demanding launch and ascent environments while stowed and then deploy reliably into a stiff, flat radiating surface on orbit. You will work closely with thermal, structures, manufacturing, propulsion, power, avionics, and software teams to deliver an integrated solution. We’re looking for a strong structures and manufacturing background paired with solid mechanism design skills—someone who can move quickly, iterate often, and take full ownership of hardware that directly determines whether our payload survives launch and stays cool in orbit.

Responsibilities

• Own the structural design of the deployable radiator panels from concept through flight, sizing them to survive stowed launch and ascent loads and to deploy into a radiating surface.

• Perform structural analysis across the full mission profile, including quasi-static and random vibration launch loads and deployed-state dynamics.

• Drive design-for-manufacturing of the panels and their assemblies, including joining and/or bonding methods, and work with suppliers to ensure high-quality, scalable production.

• Design the deployment mechanisms that stow, restrain, and deploy the radiators—hinges, latches, and release devices—and the interfaces that carry loads into the spacecraft.

• Analyze deployment kinematics, mechanism loads, restraint release, synchronization, and deployment reliability and margin, and design out jam and hang-up risks.

• Integrate the radiator panels with the liquid cooling loop and perform the thermal design of the radiator—heat rejection, fin efficiency, and thermal gradients—in partnership with the thermal team.

• Design, build, and operate ground testbeds and dev rigs to characterize panels and mechanisms, validate deployment, and de-risk the flight design ahead of qualification.

• Develop and execute deployment, structural static/modal, vibration, thermal-vacuum, and qualification/acceptance test programs to verify flight-worthiness.

• Author and maintain drawings, interface control documents, analysis reports, test procedures, and release/configuration records.

• Diagnose and resolve structural, mechanism, and thermal anomalies during integration and test, applying root-cause analysis and implementing corrective actions.

• Partner with thermal, structures, propulsion, power, avionics, and software teams to ensure the radiators integrate seamlessly within the overall spacecraft architecture.

• Embrace a fast-paced development environment, driving quick design cycles, hardware builds, and test campaigns to accelerate the program schedule.

Basic Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field

• 3+ years of experience designing and analyzing lightweight structures and mechanical hardware in aerospace or other high-performance environments

• Strong structural fundamentals: strength, stiffness, and buckling lightweight structures, and bonded and mechanically fastened joints

• Hands-on experience designing mechanisms such as hinges, latches, springs, and release devices or large structural assemblies

• Proficiency with FEA for static, modal, and dynamic analysis of structures

• Experience taking hardware from concept through build and test, with hands-on integration and test experience

• Proficiency with CAD (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, or similar)

• Experience working in fast-paced, hardware-focused development environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience designing deployable structures—radiators, solar array substrates, antennas, or booms—including stowed restraint, deployment mechanisms, and latching

• Experience designing for space environments (thermal, vibration, vacuum) and background in spacecraft structures, mechanisms, or thermal systems

• Experience with bonded and welded assemblies and sheet-metal or machined-frame fabrication

• Airframe or launch-vehicle primary-structure experience, including significant ascent loads

• Familiarity with radiator or thermal-control design and thermal-fluid coupling to cooling loops at the spacecraft system level

• Knowledge of aerospace standards (MIL-SPEC, NASA-STD, ECSS) and spaceflight hardware qualification and acceptance margins

• Hands-on experience with prototyping, machining, deployment test rigs, and gravity-offload or ambient deployment testing

• Startup or early-stage hardware experience; comfort operating with significant technical ambiguity

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $150,000 – $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) retirement savings plan

• Paid time off

• 10 paid holidays per calendar year

• Paid parental leave

• Relocation assistance if applicable

• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.