At Relativity Space, we have two audacious goals: to build the next great commercial launch company with Terran R and to become America's leading force in additive manufacturing innovation. Both contribute to our long-term vision of creating humanity’s industrial base on Mars, paving the way for interplanetary life to expand the possibilities of the human experience. This journey begins right here on Earth – where we design, build, and fly rockets to deliver customer payloads to orbit. Terran R, our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, fulfills the growing demand for launch capacity, thanks to our iterative approach that accelerates design, testing, and development while minimizing costs. While our groundbreaking research and development in 3D printing pushes the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing.
Your journey with us is more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to shape the future of aerospace technology, additive manufacturing, and the human experience alongside a community of passionate, creative individuals. Join us on this extraordinary journey, as we work together to transform our vision into reality.
About the Team:
The additive technology team leads research and development of Relativity’s Stargate 3D-printing platform and factory operating system to produce large-scale metal structures for the industrial base. The team works with robotics engineers, data scientists, systems engineers, and welders to advance Relativity’s innovative tech stack, which leverages autonomy, advanced simulation, machine learning, and robotics. Working at the intersection of hardware and software, the team is creating a unified platform that can perform additive manufacturing, in-situ monitoring, NDE, and subtraction capabilities in a single print cell. Progressing in parallel to Terran R development, Relativity’s breakthroughs in large-scale additive manufacturing have the potential to revolutionize the defense industrial base.
About the Role:
The Robotics Team at Relativity Space is responsible for building and refining the hardware that powers our autonomous systems. From advanced robotics for manufacturing and additive processes to specialized robots that support development and deployment, our R&D hardware engineers work in close collaboration with software, automation to develop cutting-edge technologies that push the boundaries of space exploration and industrial manufacturing. As a key member of the team, you’ll bring your hardware expertise to revolutionize the way robotics cooperate and additively manufacture here on earth and off planet.
- Focus on thermal management: Take the lead in integrating and optimizing thermal cameras and pyrometers to measure and monitor the temperature of various metals during the manufacturing process, with a strong emphasis on interpass temperature during welding or additive manufacturing
- Temperature measurement for welding and additive manufacturing: Develop strategies and solutions to capture the temperature profile of materials during welding, particularly between passes in multi-pass processes (interpass temperature), ensuring optimal material properties and preventing defects in final products
- Sensor calibration and validation: Calibrate and validate thermal sensors, including pyrometers and thermal cameras, to ensure high-precision measurements and to maintain accuracy across different metals, processes, and environmental conditions
- Data processing and interpretation: Develop algorithms for processing thermal data to calculate critical thermal properties, including temperature gradients and heat transfer rates during welding or additive manufacturing. This will involve post-processing data to interpret the results and adapt the process in real-time
- Collaboration with other teams: Work closely with the robotics, welding, additive manufacturing, and materials science teams to ensure that temperature data is accurately integrated into larger process workflows and that changes are made based on thermal feedback
- Maintain quality control: Design processes to ensure consistent interpass temperature management and prevent temperature-induced defects during multi-pass welding or additive manufacturing
- Research and development: Lead R&D initiatives to explore new technologies, sensors, or approaches to enhance thermal management, and optimize metalworking processes by ensuring accurate temperature measurements and adaptive control
- Documentation and reporting: Maintain thorough documentation of calibration, testing, and performance of thermal systems, ensuring all measurements are traceable, repeatable, and meet industry standards
About You:
- BS or MS in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or a related field
- 7+ years of experience working with thermal imaging systems, pyrometers, and temperature measurement technologies
- Expertise in measuring interpass temperatures and understanding the critical role of temperature control during welding or additive manufacturing processes
- Strong experience with infrared thermography, pyrometry, and thermal cameras (e.g., FLIR, ThermoScientific)
- Familiarity with welding processes (e.g., MIG, TIG, arc welding) and additive manufacturing technologies, especially related to metal deposition
- Understanding of material properties as they relate to thermal management, such as how different metals respond to heat during manufacturing processes
- Experience with sensor integration and understanding of how temperature data is used to adjust robotic or manufacturing operations
- Strong background in process optimization and the ability to translate thermal measurements into actionable steps for improving product quality
- Comfortable working with robotic systems and automated manufacturing setups for real-time data collection and feedback control
Nice to haves but not required:
- Experience in AI/ML to automate thermal process optimization and predictive modeling based on historical temperature data
- Understanding of material science principles related to thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, and metal hardening
- Proficient in data processing and analysis of thermal data, using tools like C++, Python
- Join us at Relativity Space for an unparalleled opportunity to advance the frontiers of space travel and manufacturing, contributing to humanity's interplanetary journey
At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation practices. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.
Compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To see some of the benefits & perks we offer, please visit here.
Hiring Range:
$183,000—$237,000 USD
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Top Skills
Relativity Space Long Beach, California, USA Office
We have two sites in Long Beach, CA's Space Beach: "The Wormhole," a 1M sq. ft. factory, once Boeing C-17's home. Nearby, "The Portal" supports Aeon R engine production for our Terran R launch vehicle.
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