A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are

Space Kinetic is a dual-use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do

We are seeking a Senior Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Engineer to lead the assembly, integration, verification, and testing of complex aerospace hardware and systems.

This is a highly hands-on engineering role responsible for taking hardware from engineering release through assembly, integration, functional testing, environmental qualification/acceptance testing, and final delivery. The ideal candidate has significant experience working directly with aerospace hardware, understands both mechanical and electrical integration, and is comfortable troubleshooting complex systems in a fast-paced development and production environment.

The Senior AIT Engineer will work closely with mechanical, electrical, systems, software, manufacturing, quality, and test engineering teams to ensure flight hardware is assembled correctly, tested thoroughly, and delivered on schedule.

Job Responsibilities

Lead assembly, integration, and test (AIT) activities for aerospace vehicles, spacecraft, payloads, subsystems, and ground support equipment, owning hardware through assembly, functional testing, environmental testing, and final verification.
Develop and maintain assembly procedures, work instructions, integration plans, test plans, and test procedures to ensure consistent, repeatable hardware integration and testing.
Plan and execute mechanical and electrical integration, including installation of structures, mechanisms, avionics, harnesses, sensors, payloads, and other flight hardware; support first-article builds and transition prototypes into repeatable production processes.
Provide hands-on engineering support on the manufacturing and integration floor, troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, and system-level issues and leading or supporting root cause investigations, nonconformance resolution, corrective actions, and failure investigations.
Plan and execute environmental testing, including thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, shock, and EMI/EMC testing, and perform functional checkouts and system-level verification before and after testing.
Define test configurations, instrumentation, and data acquisition requirements; design or coordinate tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and ground support equipment for assembly, integration, and testing.
Review engineering drawings, CAD models, schematics, wiring diagrams, interface control documents, and engineering requirements to ensure hardware readiness; coordinate with design engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program teams to support scheduled integration activities.
Improve AIT processes to increase quality, repeatability, efficiency, and production throughput, including supporting the development and implementation of automated test equipment and test scripts.