Vast
Solar Array Test Engineer
About this role
Vast seeks a Solar Array Test Engineer to lead qualification and verification testing programs for photovoltaic systems destined for commercial space stations. You'll own test planning, execution, and analysis across multiple environmental domains while collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams to ensure flight-ready solar hardware.
What you'll do
- Own qualification program for terrestrial/COTS photovoltaic cell technologies adapted for space applications
- Develop and maintain test plans, procedures, and reports for solar array hardware from component to system level
- Plan and execute environmental test campaigns including thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, acoustic, and deployment testing
- Perform functional testing including flash testing, electroluminescence imaging, and IV curve characterization
- Analyze test data, identify anomalies, and lead root cause investigations for failures
- Coordinate testing at internal and external facilities while ensuring compliance with AIAA and military standards
What they're looking for
- Hardware test planning and execution for aerospace systems
- Environmental testing (thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, acoustic)
- Data acquisition systems and instrumentation (thermocouples, accelerometers, strain gauges)
- Photovoltaic device physics and space-environment degradation
- MATLAB or Python for data analysis and visualization
- Technical documentation and report authoring
- AIAA S-111, AIAA S-112, and SMC-S-016 standards knowledge
- Cross-functional collaboration and technical communication
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Vast
Vast develops Haven-1, a human-rated space station, and is hiring design reliability engineers across thermal, structures, propulsion, and avionics systems to ensure safe operations, as well as construction project engineers to support the station's development and construction.
- Website
- vast.com
Likely interview questions
- Walk us through a solar array or deployable structure test campaign you led—what was your role in planning and what unexpected issues arose?
- How have you determined test success criteria and instrumentation requirements for qualification programs, and how do you justify test-as-you-fly decisions?