Test Engineer, Oxygen

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.

TEST ENGINEER, OXYGEN

The Development Test team is responsible for testing that supports every major program at SpaceX: Starship, Dragon, Falcon, and Starlink. The majority of the team's current and foreseeable focus is on Starship development. We aim to excel at operating in situations where there is uncertainty and embrace the unexpected outcomes that result from testing. Our engineers specialize in the design and execution of unique tests for engines, components, and spacecraft on an accelerated schedule. This role offers a constant variety of diverse engineering challenges in a fast-paced, hands-on team environment.

High-pressure oxygen propellants present unique design and operational challenges for ground system and flight hardware. In this role, you will be responsible for the design, fabrication and operation of test hardware, and the execution of test campaigns with the goal of ensuring the safety and reliability of Starship’s high-pressure oxygen systems.

• Develop and execute tests at the material, component and subsystem level to evaluate hardware performance and survivability during the mission.

• Design, fabricate and operationalize novel test capabilities intended to assess material/component flammability in high pressure oxygen environments.

• Facilitate oxygen system risk analysis by defining test strategies, developing data, and collaborating with design engineers to qualify test stand and flight hardware.

• Repeated ownership of test campaigns, including test plan creation, new system activation, test operations, data review, and test stand equipment design/fabrication.

• Provide daily direction and instruction to technicians to fabricate and integrate test articles and stand equipment.

• Develop and maintain test procedures, sequences, scripts, configuration files, and software.

• Operate and troubleshoot data acquisition and control systems, wiring, and instrumentation. DAQ systems are primarily National Instruments-based.

• Operate and troubleshoot fluid and mechanical systems that include low to high-pressure gaseous working fluids and rocket propellants (including hypergols & cryogenics) as well as structural components and supporting infrastructure.

• Operate mechanical systems; these include test stand support structures, heat exchangers, vacuum pumps, tooling, and fluid components such as valves, reliefs, burst disks, tubing, etc.

• Automate repetitive test operations to increase efficiency and safety. Develop innovative processes to increase testing capability and rates, while maintaining high rigor of safety.

• Identify and characterize system pitfalls and potential hazards then work to resolve such anomalies by collaborating with design engineers on improvements for test stands and flight hardware.

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering or other engineering field

• 1+ years of hands-on testing experience (experience from internships, clubs or other hands-on extra-curricular activities qualifies)

• 2 years of hands-on experience with mechanical systems, structural systems, propulsion systems, fluid systems, flight hardware or test operations

• Knowledge of hazardous systems (cryogenic, flammable, hypergolic, pyrophoric)

• Knowledge of high-pressure system design and