Senior Mechanical Engineer, Solar Arrays

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.

Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

Vast is looking for a Senior Solar Array Engineer, Mechanical, reporting to the Principal Power Systems Engineer, to support the design, analysis, build, and test of mechanisms for solar array deployment and articulation on human-rated space stations.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

• Design and analyze mechanisms for solar array deployment, including spring-driven hinges, latches, dampers, and hold-down/release devices

• Design and analyze mechanisms for solar array articulation, including motorized gimbals, gear trains, bearings, and drive electronics interfaces

• Build and maintain torque budgets for deployment and articulation mechanisms, including friction, harness resistance, disturbance torques, and margin verification per NASA-STD-5017B

• Select and specify bearings, lubricants, motors, gearboxes, encoders/resolvers, and other drivetrain components for the space environment

• Perform or support mechanism life analysis — bearing life, lubricant life, wear analysis — and define qualification test programs to demonstrate life margin

• Design for integration and test — develop deployment test procedures, gravity offload approaches, and workmanship screens

• Interface with structures, thermal, GN&C, and power teams to ensure mechanisms meet system-level requirements (deployed stiffness, pointing accuracy, disturbance torques, power transfer across rotating joints)

• Support environmental test campaigns (vibration, thermal vacuum, shock, life testing) per SMC-S-016

• Perform or support failure analysis, root cause investigation, and mechanism anomaly resolution

• Participate in design reviews, FMEA/FMECA, and technical documentation for internal and NASA deliverables

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related discipline

• 5–10 years of experience designing, building, and testing electromechanical systems — preferably mechanisms for spacecraft, satellites, or robotic systems

• Demonstrated experience with mechanism design fundamentals: bearings, gears, motors, springs, fasteners, and structural load paths

• Ability to build and defend a torque budget or force budget for a mechanism from first principles

• Experience with environmental testing of mechanical hardware (vibration, thermal cycling, life testing)

• Hands-on experience — you have built, assembled, or integrated the hardware you designed

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience with spring-driven deployable mechanisms — hinges, latches, dampers, hold-down/release devices. Understanding of deployment torque margin verification and ground test challenges (gravity offload, thermal effects on torque budget)

• Experience with motorized mechanisms — gimbals, solar array drive assemblies (SADAs), antenna positioners, or robotic actuators. Familiarity with BLDC motors, stepper motors, gearbox types (planetary, harmonic drive, cycloidal), and anti-backlash techniques

• Knowledge of tribology for the space environment — solid film lubricants (MoS₂, WS₂), space-rated greases (Braycote, Pennzane), lubricant life analysis, and the challenges of ground testing vs. on-orbit performance

• Familiarity with NASA-STD-5017B (mechanism design and analysis) including torque margin requirements and life testing philosophy

• Experience with bearing design for space mechanisms — angular contact bearing configurations, preload methods, thermal effects on preload, and lubrication-limited life analysis

• Understanding of control and feedback architecture for pointing mechanisms — encoders, resolvers, motor-side vs. load-side feedback, backlash compensation

• Familiarity with FBD construction and deployment dynamics — conservation of angular momentum, spacecraft disturbance torques during deployment, and ACS interaction

• Familiarity with SMC-S-016 or GEVS environmental test requirements

• CAD experience in NX or similar (Teamcenter experience is a plus)

• Experience with analysis tools — hand calculations, MATLAB/Python for mechanism dynamics, FEA for structural assessment of mechanism components

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

• Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted

• Specific certifications, as appropriate

Pay Range: California

$112,340—$230,472 USD

We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITSBase salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITYVast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast 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.