Intern – Thruster Development - In-space propulsion

Description

We are seeking a highly motivated engineering intern to support our thruster development team with hands-on experimental testing of rocket thrusters across multiple thrust classes. The internship is focused on (hot-fire) testing of experimental thruster designs at different stages of maturity, offering direct exposure to real propulsion hardware.

The intern will work closely with propulsion engineers to prepare thrusters and test setups, execute hot-fire test campaigns, adapt and improve test infrastructure, and analyze test data. In addition to test execution and analysis, the intern will be encouraged to critically evaluate test results and actively propose improvements to the test set-up or thruster designs, contributing to an iterative development process that links experimental results directly back to design evolution.

Responsibilities

Generate test plans for thruster testing.

Prepare thrusters and test setups for hot-fire testing.

Execute hot-fire tests on different thruster designs and analyze the results.

Upgrade and modify existing hot-fire test setups as required.

Document findings and results in a technical report.

Propose improvements to thruster test set-ups and/or thruster designs.

Support the thruster development team in day to day activities.

Qualifications

Currently enrolled in a BSc or MSc program (or equivalent) in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or a related field.

Available for a full-time internship of at least four months.

Demonstrated hands-on engineering experience.

Solid theoretical knowledge of rocket engine development and ideal rocket theory at the university level.

Experience in technical report writing.

Strong interest in aerospace technology, particularly propulsion systems.

Excellent organizational and time-management skills.

Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team.

Strong English communication skills, both written and verbal.

Proficiency in programming, preferably MATLAB or Python.

Desired Experience

Practical, hands-on experience with rocket engine development (e.g. through student projects).

Familiarity with high-pressure gases, specifically nitrous oxide.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on two areas of space transportation:

- In-space propulsion
We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our system utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 176 of these propulsion units on 42 satellites already.

- Space launch
Our Mk-II Aurora spaceplane demonstrator has completed 50 successful flights and we recently completed campaigns utilising our in-house rocket engine. Mk-II is unique in that it combines the performance of a rocket and the rapid reusability and economic model of an aircraft.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.

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Important!

If you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

To all recruitment agencies: Dawn Aerospace does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, our employees, or any other company location. Dawn Aerospace will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.