Thermal Engineer

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth. Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. Planet is both a space company and a data company all rolled into one.

Customers and users across the globe use Planet’s data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people‑centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely worldwide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.

The Thermal team at Planet is seeking a Thermal Engineer to help drive the thermal design analysis and testing of our spacecraft and their subsystems. As a thermal engineer you will foster the improvement of spacecraft thermal designs, from inception and design efforts and subsystems to the entire spacecraft. The ideal candidate is passionate about Planet’s mission and thrives in a people‑oriented environment.

This role will appeal to candidates who are looking for opportunities to help Planet take their satellite designs and production to a new level by bringing new technology to our company. As a member of the Thermal Engineering team within Planet’s Space Systems division, you will be a contributor and stakeholder in Planet’s agile aerospace approach to spacecraft design; you will work closely with the Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Qualification, Mission Operations and Manufacturing teams, as well as the rest of Planet’s leading‑edge spacecraft design teams.

This is a full‑time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco office 3 days per week.

• Own the thermal design on key spacecraft subsystems across Planet’s satellite fleet.
• Collaborate with electrical and mechanical engineers to derive requirements that drive the thermal design.
• Ensure that all components of our spacecraft are within their operational and survival temperature ranges throughout all phases of the mission.
• Collaborate with optical and mechanical engineers to ensure optical requirements are met.
• Drive part/assembly thermal analysis on key spacecraft subsystems to meet temperature requirements.
• Oversee quality of our space hardware as it’s being built.
• Develop sub‑contracts and Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for thermal hardware fabrication as needed.
• Support test planning and qualification campaigns by developing tests that validate the thermal performance of your designs.
• Support ICD development by ensuring the thermal interfaces are sufficiently well defined for mission success.
• Own thermal hardware configuration management and release to production.
• Collaborate with mission‑operation engineers to ensure proper mission design and flight operational and survival temperatures.
• Collaborate with the guidance, navigation and control engineers to ensure proper mission design and thermal modeling inputs.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering or other related engineering or science degree.
• 4+ years of experience thermal designing spacecraft.
• Good understanding of heat transfer.
• Knowledge of thermal control technology of spacecraft.
• Ability to design tests proving thermal design.
• Experience in Thermal Desktop/SINDA for spacecraft‑level analysis or similar tools for chip‑level analysis.
• Ability to progress initiatives while working independently and as part of a team.

• Experience with satellites.
• Experience with CAD — drawing your own thermal…