Vehicle Structures & Mechanisms Engineer Intern

About the Role

This internship focuses on root cause analysis, engineering design, and manufacturing of vehicle structures and mechanisms. You will gain hands-on hardware ownership and see the rocket coming to life on the factory floor, working on iterative mechanisms and tight-margin structures.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the design, analysis, and testing of electromechanical actuators (EMAs) and pneumatic actuator systems for aerospace applications.
• Assist in creating CAD models, drawings, and documentation for actuator components and subassemblies, ensuring compliance with engineering standards.
• Perform preliminary hand calculations and simulation support for actuator performance, loads, and kinematics.
• Participate in hardware build and test activities, including setup, data collection, and post-test analysis.
• Contribute to troubleshooting and root cause analysis for actuator performance or integration issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams (mechanical, electrical, and test) to deliver reliable mechanism solutions.
• Design and develop piece parts, assemblies, and systems from early conceptualization up through full initial release – working with large machined metallic components, sheet metal, composites, formed panels, and more.
• Integrate design for manufacturing choices in direct coordination with the manufacturing engineering team.
• Perform packaging assessment of systems – resolve interferences, perform tolerance stack analyses, validate hardware stacks and fastener selections, integrate nominal gapping and shimming strategies.
• Support BOM and configuration management of various systems across multiple vehicles.
• Create and release drawings as part of system release sprints post-CDR, including incorporating GD&T as primary definition.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Hands-on experience with mechanical design, prototyping, or analysis of structural or mechanism components.
• Familiarity with CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks, or similar).
• Exposure to FEA or engineering coding languages like Python or MATLAB.
• Strong interest in aerospace hardware such as actuators, linkages, latches, or deployable structures.
• Experience working on an engineering team/project designing and building hardware.
• 1-2 years established CAD experience (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, Fusion 360, etc.).
• Demonstrates fundamental engineering principles and integrating them into design decisions.
• Able to work in large assemblies and navigate/manage large BOMs.
• Experience with NX/Teamcenter PLM (preferred, 1+ years).
• Experience with GD&T and drafting (preferred, 1+ years).
• Basic programming or scripting (Python, MATLAB) for data analysis or automation (preferred).
• Exposure to finite element analysis (FEA) or other simulation tools for structural or thermal modeling (preferred).
• Hands-on experience with prototyping, machining, or test lab equipment (preferred).

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Collaborative team member who thrives in fast-paced, multidisciplinary environments and is eager to learn.
• Excitement to work on rockets and be onsite with real-world hardware.
• Experience on a rocket team (preferred).

Compensation

• $34–42 per hour.