AIT & Mechanical Technician

Job description

At NewOrbit Space, our mission is to engineer the lowest orbiting satellites on Earth to rapidly advance global connectivity and insight. We are currently building satellites that can operate at an altitude of just 200 km - one-third that of conventional satellites. Your role You will be a hands-on technician responsible for the precision mechanical assembly, integration, and test support of the AURA X satellite and thruster system. You will work across the full hardware lifecycle - from assembling and inspecting flight-quality structural assemblies and mechanisms, through building test fixtures and mechanical GSE, to supporting Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) campaigns on the satellite and propulsion system. As part of a lean AIT team, you will also support the Goods In function - receiving and inspecting incoming mechanical parts, structures, and materials against drawings and purchase orders, and logging them into the programme inventory. You will report into the AIT Lead and work alongside the mechanical design, propulsion, and satellite teams, taking direction from engineers while owning the quality, traceability, and cleanliness of the hardware you build and handle. Key Responsibilities Precision mechanical assembly of satellite structure, subsystems, and propulsion system components to engineering drawings and assembly procedures. Apply and record fastener torques using calibrated tooling in accordance with torque procedures and drawing callouts. Handle flight hardware in accordance with contamination control, ESD, and cleanliness procedures. Carry out and maintain cleanroom operations, including monitoring, gowning, and logging to ISO class requirements. Install thermal blankets (MLI) and other thermal control hardware to procedure. Build mechanical test fixtures, jigs, and GSE from drawings and instructions. Support vibration, shock, and structural test campaigns, including fixture build, accelerometer placement, and hardware removal and inspection post-test. Support integration of the propulsion system into the satellite structure. Maintain as-built records, travellers, torque records, and non-conformance reports to support full hardware traceability. Inspect and photograph hardware at defined assembly stages; flag non-conformances to the AIT Lead. Perform goods in inspection of incoming mechanical parts, structural components, and raw materi…