# Thermal / Structures Engineer at Galactic Resource Utilization Space, Inc. (GRU Space)

- Company: Galactic Resource Utilization Space, Inc. (GRU Space) (YC W26)
- What the company does: Moon Hotel -> The Intergalactic Construction Company of Earth. Backed by Y Combinator.
- Company website: https://gru.space
- Type: Startups
- Level: Mid level
- Location: Hawthorne, CA, US
- Work setup: On-site
- Pay: $120 to $170/hr (USD)
- Posted: 2026-03-29
- Apply by: 2026-10-08
- Apply: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/galactic-resource-utilization-space-inc-gru-space/jobs/zibQKVl-thermal-structures-engineer
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/galactic-resource-utilization-space-inc-gru-space-thermal-structures-engineer/

## About the role

You’ll own the environmental verification for our 2027 lunar payload, ensuring it withstands launch loads, landing shock, vacuum, and the thermal extremes of the lunar surface. This role is the analytical backbone of the team. If you want to maximize the probability that humanity becomes interplanetary in your lifetime, apply and share a portfolio of the technical work you’re most proud of.

## What they're looking for

- Strong FEA background (ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus, or similar) for both structural and thermal analysis
- Experience with spacecraft or launch vehicle thermal environments: conduction networks, radiation exchange, transient analysis
- Understanding of structural dynamics: random vibration, shock spectra, modal analysis, and how they drive hardware design
- Ability to make engineering judgments under uncertainty: Class D means we accept more risk, but that requires knowing where the risk actually is
- You’re using the latest AI tools every day (i.e., Opus 4.6/GPT 5.4, in appropriate harness) to massively increase your output and do things you otherwise couldn’t
- You’ve built flight hardware before

Tags: Engineering