Fluids Design Engineer - Heat Exchangers
at Orbital Operations — High Thrust Space Vehicles for Satellite Defense
What the role involves
About the role
Orbital Operations is seeking a highly motivated Fluid Systems Engineer to lead the design and development of heat exchangers critical to our Cryogenic Propulsion Management System (CPMS). You will design thermal management hardware that integrates with reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) systems, high-performance turbomachinery, and low-loss cryogenic storage. The ideal candidate brings experience designing and prototyping thermal-fluid systems for aerospace or other high-performance environments and is excited to help shape the infrastructure for a more maneuverable space domain.
Key Responsibilities include
- Lead conceptual and detailed design of cryogenic heat exchangers, including plate-fin, printed circuit, and custom compact geometries.
- Perform thermal and fluid flow analysis across operating conditions typical of in-space cryogenic systems (e.g. LOX, LH2, GN2, GH2).
- Collaborate with the turbomachinery and RBC subsystem teams to ensure thermal interfaces and system dynamics are optimized for performance, reliability, and thermal stability.
- Support system modeling and simulations (FEA, CFD) to validate heat exchanger performance and optimize geometry under extreme space environments.
- Interface with fabrication partners to develop manufacturing approaches for high-precision cryogenic heat exchangers.
Required Qualifications
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
- 3+ years of experience in heat exchanger or cryogenic thermal system design in aerospace or similar hardware-focused industry.
- Proficiency in thermal/fluid simulation tools (e.g., ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, COMSOL).
- Experience with materials and fabrication methods relevant to cryogenic and vacuum environments (e.g., brazing, diffusion bonding, welded alloys).
- CAD proficiency (e.g., SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent).
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Familiarity with systems engineering practices and traceable design processes
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with cryogenic propulsion systems, reverse Brayton cycles, or compact high-performance heat exchangers.
- Working knowledge of aerospace fluid system standards (e.g., NASA-STD-5017, ASME BPVC VIII).
- Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, or qualifying flight hardware.
- Programming skills in Python or MATLAB for data reduction or automation of analysis workflows.
What they ask for
About Orbital Operations
Orbital Operations is developing a high thrust, reusable space vehicle for satellite defense. We protect critical satellites, like GPS and Military communication satellites, from adversarial threats, like China and Russia. Our vehicle will use the exact same propulsion systems that launch vehicles have used for decades by implementing a cryogenic management system. This will give us over 100x the thrust or current in-space propulsion. Ross and I have over 15 years of combined aerospace experience across NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Relativity Space. We’ve worked side by side for more than 3.5 years developing propulsion systems, turbomachinery, and building our own respective engineering teams. We are currently working on the first demo of our unique cryo management system and intend to launch an operational vehicle by 2027.
Full Orbital Operations profile