Full-Time
Senior Thermal Engineer
Astranis
501-1,000 employees
GEO satellites delivering bandwidth-as-a-service
Compensation Overview
$145k - $235k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
San Francisco, CA, USA
In Person
US Citizenship Required
 Mechanical Engineering (2) |
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- Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or physics
- 6+ years of experience in a thermal/mechanical role
- Experience in thermal analysis and thermally-constrained design; computational thermal design experience (finite methods) is not required but highly preferred
- Proficiency with mechanical CAD
- A passion and enthusiasm for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development
- U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
- Identify feasible thermal architectures and mature designs through conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design phases using practical passive and active thermal control techniques
- Take charge of design trades that successfully balance performance margins, resource use, risk, cost, and schedule
- Perform thermal analysis to varying degrees of fidelity (simplified to detailed) on a variety of different types of hardware such as propulsion components, batteries, high powered electronics, RF components, mechanisms, and printed circuit boards
- Design, evaluate, procure and test thermal solutions such as heaters, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and surface coatings
- Develop processes and procedures for integration and assembly which ensure thermal design intent is met. Collaborate with the integration and test team in the installation of thermal hardware as needed
- Plan and run thermal vacuum testing and verification at the component and spacecraft level
- Mentor and support junior engineers
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team
- Experience with Thermal Desktop
- Experience with ANSYS Mechanical or ANSYS IcePak
- Experience with Electronics Packaging and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design
- Experience building and operating high vacuum systems
- Experience designing for a vacuum environment or environments with large temperature swings
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.