Mechanisms Flight Engineer

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected.

Position Overview:

The Mechanisms Flight Engineer is responsible for the verification, operational readiness, and flight execution support of spacecraft deployment and actuation systems. This role focuses on mechanisms represented within the flat sat environment, including deployment actuators, drive assemblies, hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs), and gimbaled systems.

This engineer will verify command and telemetry paths, motor drive performance, sensor feedback, and end-to-end mechanism functionality prior to flight. The role owns the execution and validation of flight operations procedures for deployment and actuation events, including commanding and monitoring mechanisms, validating timelines and mode transitions, rehearsing commissioning activities, and reproducing on-orbit conditions in the lab to support anomaly investigation and resolution.

The Mechanisms Flight Engineer serves as the critical link between mechanism hardware and control-system bring-up in the electronics lab and the successful execution of deployment and actuation events throughout the mission lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build, configure, and maintain the mechanism drive and control representation on the flat sat, including harness routing, connector integration, motor drivers, actuator electronics, release-device fire circuits, and position/feedback sensors.
• Perform bring-up, functional checkout, and troubleshooting of mechanism drive electronics and control paths, including motors, position sensors, peripheral devices, and HDRM circuits.
• Develop, execute, and maintain automated and manual procedures for mechanism functional verification, including deployment, actuation, and gimbal-pointing activities.
• Create and utilize scripting and test automation tools to improve test repeatability, efficiency, and verification coverage.
• Execute flight operations procedures for mechanism deployments and actuation events, including commanding mechanisms, monitoring telemetry, validating timelines, and verifying mode transitions.
• Rehearse and validate commissioning, deployment, and on-orbit actuation events in the flat sat environment.
• Reproduce on-orbit mechanism conditions in the laboratory to support anomaly investigation, troubleshooting, and resolution.