AST SpaceMobile and our global partners are building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network to be accessible by standard smartphones. Called SpaceMobile, this ultra-powerful network is being designed to provide connectivity at 4G/5G speeds everywhere on the planet – on land, at sea and in flight.
Position Overview:
The Mechanisms Flight Engineer is responsible for the verification, operational readiness, and flight execution support of spacecraft deployment and actuation systems. This role focuses on mechanisms represented within the flat sat environment, including deployment actuators, drive assemblies, hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs), and gimbaled systems.
This engineer will verify command and telemetry paths, motor drive performance, sensor feedback, and end-to-end mechanism functionality prior to flight. The role owns the execution and validation of flight operations procedures for deployment and actuation events, including commanding and monitoring mechanisms, validating timelines and mode transitions, rehearsing commissioning activities, and reproducing on-orbit conditions in the lab to support anomaly investigation and resolution.
The Mechanisms Flight Engineer serves as the critical link between mechanism hardware and control-system bring-up in the electronics lab and the successful execution of deployment and actuation events throughout the mission lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities:
- Build, configure, and maintain the mechanism drive and control representation on the flat sat, including harness routing, connector integration, motor drivers, actuator electronics, release-device fire circuits, and position/feedback sensors.
- Perform bring-up, functional checkout, and troubleshooting of mechanism drive electronics and control paths, including motors, position sensors, peripheral devices, and HDRM circuits.
- Develop, execute, and maintain automated and manual procedures for mechanism functional verification, including deployment, actuation, and gimbal-pointing activities.
- Create and utilize scripting and test automation tools to improve test repeatability, efficiency, and verification coverage.
- Execute flight operations procedures for mechanism deployments and actuation events, including commanding mechanisms, monitoring telemetry, validating timelines, and verifying mode transitions.
- Rehearse and validate commissioning, deployment, and on-orbit actuation events in the flat sat environment.
- Reproduce on-orbit mechanism conditions in the laboratory to support anomaly investigation, troubleshooting, and resolution.
- Verify mechanism electrical interfaces against ICDs, schematics, and engineering requirements, including continuity, pinout verification, power distribution, motor phases, sensor signals, and HDRM circuitry.
- Instrument and monitor mechanism performance using laboratory test equipment including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, programmable power supplies, and data loggers.
- Capture and analyze telemetry and test data, including motor current signatures, heater and RTD data, switch states, and deployment timing metrics to assess mechanism performance and health.
- Support real-time mission operations during deployment and actuation activities by monitoring telemetry, executing procedures, and providing hardware-informed engineering support during critical mission events.
- Maintain configuration control of flat sat hardware, software, and testbed builds to ensure accurate representation of flight configurations and document all deltas.
- Collaborate closely with Mechanisms, Avionics, Software, Integration & Test, Systems Engineering, and Flight Operations teams to close verification activities and resolve technical issues.
Qualifications
Education:
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
Experience:
- Minimum 3+ years of hands-on experience in spacecraft integration and test, flight hardware operations, mission operations, or related engineering disciplines involving mechanism control systems, actuators, or complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience with electronics bring-up, mechanism actuation and control, and electrical troubleshooting using laboratory instrumentation.
- Experience developing automated test procedures and scripts (Python preferred) for functional verification, integration testing, or operational validation.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, interface control documents (ICDs), and engineering drawings.
- Experience performing connector verification, harness validation, and electrical interface testing.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Direct experience supporting spacecraft mechanisms, flat sat environments, spacecraft integration and test (I&T), or mission operations.
- Experience commanding and monitoring deployment or actuation events through telemetry and command interfaces.
- Experience with motor drive and actuator control systems, including brushed DC, brushless DC, and stepper motors, encoders, and closed-loop positioning systems.
- Experience with spacecraft commissioning activities, deployment operations, sequence validation, timeline verification, or ground-segment interfaces.
- Experience supporting anomaly investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective action implementation.
- Familiarity with spaceflight hardware development and operational readiness activities.
Soft Skills:
- Strong systematic troubleshooting skills with the ability to isolate whether a fault is mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, or operational in nature and drive resolution to root cause.
- Meticulous documentation practices and configuration management discipline.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain composure during real-time deployment and actuation events where actions may be time-critical and irreversible.
- Self-directed and proactive in a fast-paced, small-team environment.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Technology Stack:
- Python and scripting languages for test automation and verification.
- Exposure to embedded C/C++ and embedded systems development is a plus.
- Laboratory instrumentation including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, digital multimeters, programmable power supplies, and data loggers.
- Configuration management and document-control systems such as Windchill, Arena, and Git.
- Jira or equivalent issue-tracking tools.
- Microsoft Office Suite.
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to perform hands-on hardware operations in electronics laboratory and cleanroom environments for extended periods.
- Ability to work with cabling, fine-pitch connectors, electronic assemblies, and precision flight hardware.
- Compliance with ESD and contamination-control protocols.
- Ability to use computers, engineering workstations, and laboratory instrumentation for extended periods.
- Willingness to support occasional nights, weekends, and mission-critical operations associated with launch, commissioning, and on-orbit deployment activities.
- Ability to lift and manipulate hardware, cabling, and test equipment as required for integration and test activities.
This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands.
AST SpaceMobile is an Equal Opportunity, at will Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.