Full-Time
Senior Propulsion Test Engineer
Posted on 8/14/2025
Astranis
501-1,000 employees
GEO satellites delivering bandwidth-as-a-service
Compensation Overview
$150k - $175k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
San Francisco, CA, USA
In Person
US Top Secret Clearance Required
 Aerospace Engineering (1) |
|---|
- Bachelor of Science degree in a technical discipline (e.g. engineering, physics)
- 5+ years of industry experience with propulsion system testing
- Including being familiar with industry standards
- A passion for testing, including working in a fast-paced environment and doing hands-on design/development
- Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware from scratch
- Experience with reading and writing technical standards and test plans
- Must be onsite 5 days a week
- U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
- Design, build, test, and qualify tests and test equipment for Astranis propulsion systems
- All this with a focus on automation of tests and test equipment
- Perform component and system level design, analysis, and trade studies for test equipment
- Manage facility projects to build infrastructure to support propulsion test requirements
- Design and build flight-like system level testbeds
- Develop and execute component and system level test plans
- Work cross functionally with design and software teams to ensure all components are tested in a flight-like way
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team
- Train propulsion test specialists and technicians to use test equipment
- Demonstrated experience in designing, testing, and operating spacecraft propulsion systems
- Specific experience with electric propulsion or monopropulsion systems
- Experience with Python, C++, and or Git
- Familiarity with AFSPCMAN 91-710 and other Range Safety documentation and requirements
- Familiarity with propellant material compatibility
- Familiarity with weld and weld inspection standards and best practices
Astranis builds and operates small, low-cost satellites in geostationary orbit to provide bandwidth-as-a-service for global connectivity. Its satellites carry telecom payloads that deliver internet capacity to customers, including commercial entities and government agencies, via turnkey services that simplify procurement and reduce costs. Customers buy bandwidth and use Astranis’ satellite capacity to reach previously unserved regions, rather than building and managing their own satellites. The company differentiates itself by owning the design, manufacturing, and operation of its GEO satellites, enabling cost-efficient, turnkey connectivity solutions for markets that traditional providers overlook. The goal is to close the digital divide by bringing affordable internet access to billions of people worldwide and to build a large, sustainable market for satellite-based connectivity.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Series E
Total Funding
$1.2B
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Founded
2015
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- $450M funding expands MicroGEO production for 100 satellites by 2030.
- Chunghwa Telecom partners for Taiwan's first dedicated MicroGEO satellite.
- USSF and NASA contracts secure high-margin government revenue streams.
What critics are saying
- Block 3 satellites delay to 2025 erodes first-mover edge versus Starlink.
- Starlink Starshield achieves price parity by 2027, squeezing defense margins.
- $1B backlog relies on few customers; Thaicom loss triggers 20% revenue drop.
What makes Astranis unique
- MicroGEO satellites deliver 8.5 Gbit/s throughput, exceeding 7.5 Gbit/s specs.
- Vanguard enables air-gapped point-to-point comms via MicroGEO for defense.
- Omega satellites provide 50 Gbps at 600 kg mass from 2026 launches.
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Benefits
An equity stake in the company.
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Unlimited vacation days.
Healthy, delicious, free lunch catered in every day.
Complementary OneMedical membership.
Great office chairs, stand-up desks, and a machine shop.
Reimbursement to spend on commuting from outside SF
Generous, fully-paid parental leave.
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↓ -1%2 year growth
↑ 1%Chunghwa Telecom has entered a partnership with Astranis to create a geostationary satellite specifically designed for Taiwan.
Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan-based telecom service provider Chunghwa Telecom Co. recently signed a strategic agreement with Astranis Space Technologies Corp., an American satellite start-up, to develop the first dedicated compact geostationary orbit (MicroGEO) satellite for Taiwan.
Astranis, operator of a satellite internet company intended to bridge the digital divide, raised an additional $50 million of Series D venture funding from NTT Docomo Ventures, and other investors.
As part of this ambitious effort, Orbits first partnered with Astranis, the world's leading operator of dedicated communications satellites, to construct its latest satellite.
Astranis to develop resilient GPS satellites for USSF.