Principal Thermal Design Engineer

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Mechanical teams to develop passive and active thermal control hardware including radiators, heaters, heat pipes, and surface coating
• Partner with Avionics teams to develop thermal models and thermal tests for electronic assemblies
• Work with GNC teams to define and thermally analyze nominal and contingency cases for in-orbit operations
• Develop and maintain thermal models for spacecraft and sub-components using Thermal Desktop and Ansys
• Interface with vendors and launcher providers to translate designs into thermal-related requirements
• Automate data analysis to support architectural trades
• Set up and execute thermal testing from development to qualification

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience with satellite thermal design and analysis
• Demonstrated experience with radiative and conductive thermal modeling using Thermal Desktop
• Experience with selection, sizing, and design of thermal control hardware (heat pipes, heaters, MLI, etc.)
• Experience with thermal cycling and thermal vacuum testing (TVAC)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with full-vehicle thermal vacuum testing and model correlation
• Experience with spacecraft thermal design optimized for cost, reliability, and manufacturability
• Experience with integrated thermal analysis of spacecraft and rocket
• Experience with solar panel thermal modeling
• Experience with electrical PCBA thermal modeling and thermal interface materials
• Experience with spacecraft primary radiator design and analysis
• Familiarity with SMC-S016 standard or equivalent
• Proficiency with Python, C/C++, or Matlab for thermal modeling and automated data analysis

About the Company

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by leading investors, K2 is mass-producing high-power satellite platforms for missions from LEO to deep space.