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Aerospace, Space Exploration, Telecommunications, Manufacturing

Thermal Engineer, AI Satellites (Starmind)

Bastrop, TXFull TimeEntry-level (exp-based)Posted 2 months ago

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Required skills

thermal analysis
fluids analysis
conjugate heat transfer
cold plates
heat exchangers
radiator channels
0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network modeling
flow split
ΔP budget
loop ΔT

Nice to have

STAR-CCM+
ANSYS Fluent/CFX
Python
Siemens NX
mesh
turbulence modeling

Role summary

SpaceX is seeking a Thermal Engineer for its Starmind initiative, focusing on AI satellites. This role involves end-to-end ownership of the satellite cooling system, addressing the challenge of dissipating hundreds of kilowatts of heat from dense compute payloads to large radiators. You will perform conjugate heat transfer and thermal-fluid analysis on components like cold plates and heat exchangers, and model the system's 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network. Responsibilities include driving architecture trades, co-evolving designs with hardware owners, predicting performance, and correlating models with test data. Automation of analysis workflows is also key. A Bachelor's degree in a related engineering field and 1+ years of experience in fluids, CFD, or thermal analysis are required.

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

THERMAL ENGINEER, AI SATELLITES (STARMIND)

SpaceX is leveraging its experience deploying and operating the world’s largest satellite constellation to develop Starmind, a new constellation of satellites capturing solar energy in space to power low-cost, high-performance AI compute for Earth. Scaling AI in space is a thermal problem as much as a power and processing problem. With a dense compute payload dissipating hundreds of kilowatts, the thermal system must efficiently transfer heat to large radiators that reject it to space, under solar load, eclipse, and multi-mode AI duty cycles.

You will join the Starmind Thermal team, which owns the satellite cooling stack end-to-end. Rejecting hundreds of kilowatts of accelerator waste heat to space is limited by high-flux loads transferring heat to massive deployable radiators. No capable cooling architecture has been flown at this scale. As a Senior Thermal Engineer focused on fluids analysis, you own conjugate heat transfer and thermal-fluid analysis of cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels and manifolds, and the system 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network that sets flow split, ΔP budget, loop ΔT, and pump operating point. You co-evolve geometry and flow path with mechanical and fluid-systems owners under tight feedback from manufacturing and test. You sit where the local physics is hardest and the design decisions stick: predictions that close margins, ground in test, and drive rate-production hardware.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Own conjugate heat-transfer (CHT) and thermal-fluid analysis of high-performance cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels for STARMIND satellites

Own the system 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network that sizes and balances the cooling loop: flow split, ΔP budget, loop ΔT, pump operating point

Drive cooling-loop architecture trades with hardware and vehicle-level thermal teammates

Co-evolve geometry, materials and processes with hardware owners to find mass producible, efficient thermal solutions

Predict component and system performance under wide range of flow and thermal conditions

Own pre-test prediction, test design, and model-test correlation for fluid component and integrated thermal tests

Automate analysis workflows for re-running trades as designs and boundary conditions change

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline

1+ years of professional experience in fluids, CFD, or thermal analysis

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Master’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline

Steady/transient conjugate heat-transfer CFD of liquid-cooled or high-heat-flux hardware (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent/CFX, or equivalent)

Hand-calc checks and engineering judgment on mesh, turbulence modeling, and model fidelity

Hands on hardware testing inclusive of instrumentation selection and model correlation

Relevant manufacturing techniques, and judiciously pushing their constraints

Watertight CFD geometry (Siemens NX or equivalent)

Package/board-level tools as secondary (Icepak, Flotherm)

0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network modeling to size and balance cooling loops (flow split, ΔP budget, loop ΔT, pump operating point)

Scripting analysis workflows and post-processing (Python preferred)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission critical deadlines

Some travel may occasionally be required

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX 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.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.

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