Fluids Engineer at Cowboy Space Corp. in Washington, DC

Job description

About Cowboy Space Corp: Mission Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth. Background Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport. Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases. Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others. This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you. About the Role : You will own the design and development of fluid system hardware for the vehicle’s propulsion, fluids, and/or thermal management architectures. This includes valves, regulators, fluid storage systems (tanks and pressure vessels), fluid routing (tubing, fittings, brackets, and manifolds), and integrated fluid subsystems. You will work across the full lifecycle—from concept and analysis through build, test, and flight—to deliver hardware that meets performance, mass, and reliability requirements in demanding launch and space environments. Responsibilities: • Design valves (flow control, isolation, regulation, check, and relief) for propellant, pressurant, and thermal fluid systems used on propulsion and launch vehicle systems. • Develop fluid storage hardware including propellant tanks, pressure vessels, and accumulators from concept through qualification. • Design fluid routing architecture: tubing runs, manifolds, fittings, flex lines, and quick-disconnects for vehicle integration. • Own fluid subsystem layout and integration, ensuring compatibility across propulsion, thermal, and pneumatic systems. • Perform hydraulic and pneumatic analysis (pressure drop, flow distribution, water hammer, thermal transients) to size components and verify system performance. • Perform structural analysis (FEA, hand calcs) and validate with test and flight data. • Select materials compatible with propellants, pressures, and operating environments (cryogenic, high-pressure, corrosive). • Generate detailed component and assembly drawings, specifications, and interface control documents. • Support and execute component-level and system-level test campaigns (proof, burst, flow, leak, cycle life). • Work directly with manufacturing and technicians to resolve build issues, improve producibility, and support rapid iterat