Systems Engineering & Test Intern

About Dispatch

Dispatch is building refurbishable reentry vehicles for in-space manufacturing. Spark-1 is our first vehicle, a 150 kg spacecraft that hosts payloads in orbit and brings them back to Earth.

Our vehicles are designed, built, and operated in-house, from spacecraft systems and flight software through reentry and recovery.

About This Role

Internships at Dispatch are full-time and on-site in San Francisco. Candidates must be actively pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree. Due to U.S. export control requirements, candidates must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen or permanent resident). We are unable to sponsor visas.

The Systems Engineering team is responsible for the requirements, interfaces, verification, and environmental test campaign that take Spark-1 from design review through launch vehicle integration.

Interns at Dispatch work directly on problems that affect upcoming missions. You'll own meaningful technical work and collaborate closely with engineers across mechanical, avionics, flight software, and mission operations as we design, test, and operate Spark-1.

Responsibilities

• Own or contribute to requirements, verification matrices, and interface control documents for Spark-1

• Develop and maintain launch vehicle interface documentation, including mass properties, deployables, RF, and separation system data

• Plan and execute environmental test campaigns, including vibration, thermal vacuum, and EMI/EMC, with procedures, fixtures, and reports

• Support flatsat and flight vehicle integration, anomaly tracking, and resolution across subsystems

• Support regulatory filings and licensing work with the FCC, NOAA, and FAA

Basic Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, or a related technical field

• Experience through coursework, research, internships, or engineering project teams in one or more areas of systems engineering, integration and test, requirements management, or environmental testing

• Familiarity with reading mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, and link budgets, and with requirements or test management tools

• Comfortable working across subsystems and keeping track of what has been verified, what has not, and what is blocking

Preferred Skills and Experience

• At least one year of experience on a technical project team such as CubeSat, Rocket Team, AIAA Design-Build-Fly, Formula SAE, or similar

• Previous experience integrating and testing a multi-subsystem vehicle such as a CubeSat, rocket, or UAV

• Familiarity with rideshare interface standards such as ESPA or Exolaunch deployers, or with launch vehicle integration

• Experience with vibration, thermal vacuum, or EMI/EMC testing, or with FCC, NOAA, or FAA licensing

• Strong communication and technical documentation skills

Due to U.S. export control requirements, candidates must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen or permanent resident). We are unable to sponsor visas.

Interview Process

• 30 minute video call with a founder
• 1 hour technical video interview with an engineer