About the Role

General Astronautics is building autonomous dexterous robotic arms for orbital inspection, repair, and assembly. Our systems enable spacecraft to autonomously manipulate, replace, and upgrade hardware in microgravity, without astronaut intervention.

We're looking for Mechanical Engineering Interns for Summer 2027 to help design, build, and test our robotic hardware. This role spans mechanism design, CAD, analysis, prototyping, testing, and integration of robotic joints, end effectors, structures, and electromechanical assemblies.

This is a high-ownership, high-accountability role. You will work directly with your mentor and the founding team, taking responsibility for hardware from initial requirements through a working, tested assembly. You will move quickly between design, manufacturing, assembly, and experiments. Your work will support our upcoming demonstration mission and flight-ready robotic systems.

Responsibilities

Own a mechanism or subassembly from requirements and trade studies through detailed design, prototyping, and testing

Develop CAD models and engineering drawings, including material selection, tolerances, and assembly processes

Perform hand calculations and FEA to evaluate structural margins and validate designs across expected load conditions

Build prototypes, test fixtures, and instrumentation to evaluate hardware performance

Write and execute test plans, analyze results, and use the findings to improve your designs

Support qualification and acceptance testing for parabolic flight and on-orbit demonstration hardware

Produce drawings, analysis reports, bills of materials, and assembly documentation that others can build from

Evaluate manufacturability, cost, and design risk, and work with the team to integrate your hardware with the robot, payload, and vehicle

Basic Qualifications

Enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in engineering, physics, computer science, or math by the start of employment

GPA of 3.5 or above

6+ months of hands-on technical work outside the classroom through research, project teams, personal builds, or prior internships

Strong fundamentals in prototyping, order-of-magnitude estimation, and hand calculations

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work alongside engineers, technicians, and the founding team

Ability to take ownership of technical problems and adapt as priorities change

Preferred Skills and Experience

Experience designing mechanisms, robotic hardware, or electromechanical assemblies

Experience creating CAD models and engineering drawings in Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent software

Experience with MATLAB, Ansys, or equivalent analysis and simulation tools

Experience designing tooling, building test fixtures, and testing structures or mechanisms

Experience integrating motors, sensors, or other electrical components into mechanical hardware

Additional Requirements

Available to work on-site in El Segundo for a minimum of 12 weeks during Summer 2027

Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to support critical project milestones

Compensation

Engineering Intern, Sophomore: $30.00/hour

Engineering Intern, Junior or Senior: $35.00/hour

ITAR / Citizenship Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or eligible for authorization under U.S. export regulations.