Full-Time

Staff Manufacturing Engineer

Spacecraft

Capella Space

Capella Space

201-500 employees

Delivers rapid SAR imagery for monitoring

Compensation Overview

$126.9k - $158.2k/yr

+ Bonus + Equity

Lafayette, CO, USA

In Person

On-site in Louisville, Colorado; travel up to 5%

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Aerospace Engineering
Required Skills
CAD
GD&T
Assembly
SolidWorks

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Requirements
  • 5+ years of experience in the manufacturing of spacecrafts or complex electro-mechanical systems in an aerospace or space environment
  • Hands on manufacturing and test experience
  • Deep knowledge of ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards
  • Proficient in 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) with SolidWorks preferred
  • Proficient with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools
  • To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Capella Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce
Responsibilities
  • Own execution of all spacecraft assembly and integration activities, ensuring hardware is built to engineering requirements, quality standards, and production schedules
  • Develop work instructions and manufacturing processes with a focus on increasing yield and reducing cycle time
  • Lead investigation, resolution, and root cause/corrective action for non-conformances
  • Design and own large scale ground support equipment (GSE) needed for manufacturing and integrating spacecrafts
  • Review models and drawings to ensure conformance with manufacturing requirements and to increase manufacturability
  • Partners with engineering on Design for Manufacturing (DFM) to improve producibility, reduce cycle time, and minimize defects
  • Partner with supply chain and supplier base to improve material first pass yield

Capella Space provides earth observation data by collecting Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery from a rapidly scalable satellite constellation. It captures high-quality, frequent radar images to monitor small-scale surface movements across areas like ports, pipelines, fields, and oceans. Data is delivered through an intuitive self-serve platform that clients can access to integrate into their operations via APIs and standard formats. Compared to competitors, Capella Space emphasizes higher revisit frequency and faster delivery, enabled by its operational concept and scalable satellite network, prioritizing data quality and the customer experience. The company’s goal is to give timely, accurate information that helps clients manage risk, improve forecasts, monitor infrastructure, and support environmental decisions.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$234M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2016

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • IonQ's 2025 acquisition integrates SAR for quantum key distribution.
  • $15M AFWERX contract enhances SAR tech in 2026.
  • DIU HSA partnership develops low-latency SAR modes.

What critics are saying

  • IonQ redirects SAR to quantum networks, diluting Earth observation.
  • ICEYE's 40+ satellites erode Capella's revisit frequency share.
  • GF-7 undercuts Asia-Pacific pricing with sub-0.5m resolution.

What makes Capella Space unique

  • Capella delivers 50cm SAR imagery via scalable smallsat constellation.
  • AI-powered vessel classification automates maritime domain awareness.
  • Full-resolution SLC imagery achieves 0.05m azimuth resolution.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Stock Options

Parental Leave

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Mental Health Support

Phone/Internet Stipend

Commuter Benefits

Pet Insurance

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

7%
SpaceNews
Aug 27th, 2025
SpaceX launches Luxembourg imaging satellite, seven rideshare payloads

Capella Space launched Acadia-6, a synthetic aperture radar satellite.

SatNow
May 13th, 2025
Capella Space Awarded Contract to Support the Hybrid Space Architecture

Capella Space, an American space tech company with data and satellite solutions for government and commercial applications, announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), to develop new synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging acquisition modes to support the Hybrid Space Architecture (HSA).

Business Wire
May 12th, 2025
Capella Space Awarded Contract by the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit to Support the Hybrid Space Architecture

Capella Space to develop new imaging acquisition modes to support low-latency, broad-area tasking

Defense Daily
May 7th, 2025
IonQ Acquires Capella Space for QKD

IonQ, a quantum computing company, announced its acquisition of Capella Space to advance its quantum networking plans. Capella, which operates satellites capturing X-band synthetic aperture radar data, provides imagery and analytics for defense, intelligence, and other sectors. IonQ aims to establish a global satellite quantum key distribution network, enhancing its quantum networking leadership and expanding partnerships with the U.S. government.

Defense Daily
May 7th, 2025
Quantum Computing Company IonQ to Acquire Capella Space

Also on Wednesday, IonQ announced plans to acquire Lightsynq Technologies, a company founded by former Harvard University quantum memory experts, focused on interconnected quantum systems.