Surface Mobility and Robotics Mechanisms Engineer - Senior
Glen Burnie, MD$85,000 - $205,000 About The Position Intuitive Machines is seeking a highly skilled Mechanisms Engineer to join our team. This position will be located on-site at the IM Robotics and Mechanisms Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The Mechanisms Engineer will work in a cross-functional team on the design, development, manufacture and test of a Mars rover Engineering Development Unit (EDU). The engineer will lead manufacturing and outfitting of the EDU including design and build of traction drive and steering actuators; design and build of a navigation / communication / thermal / solar tower; integration of a 7-DOF robotic manipulator and standard robotic tools for Mars science sample collection; integration of power and computing systems, autonomous navigation instruments, communications elements; and coordination of end-to-end mission demonstration for the customer.
In addition to the primary role, the engineer will assist in the concept development, design, build and test of a variety of articulation and deployment mechanisms associated with Intuitive Machines' vehicles and landers.
Responsibilities- Serve as end-to-end Product Design Lead (PDL) for Mars rover EDU build and outfitting
- Serve as technical lead for traction drive and steering drive actuator design, geartrain development, and actuator integration across the mobility system
- Develop performance specifications for Stepper and BLDC actuators, lead procurement, and oversee testing/characterization
- Perform detailed design of
- Own the design and build of the vehicle Superstructure which includes provisions for navigation sensors, solar array, thermal radiator(s), and communications equipment
- Lead integration of the 7-DOF robotic manipulator to the vehicle; place science collection containers and robotic tools; develop robotic ConOps for science and vehicle maintenance demonstrations; implement software fixes and upgrades as needed
- Own and coordinate assembly and test of the integrated vehicle at IM's Maryland facility
- Develop, and execute, assembly and test procedures; design test apparatus and data collection methods
- Work closely with the Demonstration Lead and Autonomy Lead to devise meaningful autonomous and teleoperated capability tests
- Interface with cross-disciplinary teams (structures, thermal, avionics, software) to integrate mechanisms into the vehicle
- Perform mechanism analyses including bearing and gear calculations, force and torque margins, lubricant life analysis, rigid and flexible body dynamic simulations
- Generate CAD and drawings of mechanical hardware; perform optimization studies, interference checks, tolerance analysis
- Represent mechanisms engineering at customer and program reviews
Qualifications- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field; M.S./Ph.D. preferred.
- Minimum of 10+ years of experience
- Deep expertise in bearing design, geartrain analysis, seal systems, lubrication, stepper and brushless DC actuators and controllers
- Proven ability to manage end-to-end flight hardware procurements, vendors, budgets, and schedules
- Proficiency with Creo and Windchill
- Proficiency with ASME Y14.5 geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
- Familiarity with performance requirements development for mechanical and electromechanical systems
- Experience with the generation of work orders, assembly procedures and test plans for mechanisms functional, vibration, thermal vacuum and life testing
- Familiarity with standard practices for assembly and environmental testing of space flight mechanisms as well as the tooling and ground support equipment associated with these tests
- Familiarity with spaceflight mechanisms topics including motors, bearings and lubricants, geared systems, release mechanisms and robotic systems, and the integration of electrical components such as wire harnesses into these systems
- Familiarity with commonly used space and commercial specifications for materials, processes, fasteners, mechanical components, connectors, wiring, etc.
- Familiarity with common space industry additive and conventional metallic and composite manufacturing processes
- Familiarity with motion simulation software and finite element analysis tools
Preferred- Direct experience in rover, spacecraft, or extreme-environment vehicle development
- Experience with robotic manipulators and robotic control systems
- History of leading full lifecycle mechanism development (design 14 build 14 test 14 flight)
- Familiarity with lunar or planetary mission requirements (dust, vacuum, thermal extremes)
- Published work or recognized contributions in aspects of mechanism design
- Experience in proposal writing, customer-facing design reviews, and technical leadership
Work EnvironmentWork is performed in a prototype development laboratory and manufacturing environment supporting spacecraft, lunar robotics and aerospace mechanisms.
