Intern - Thruster DevelopmentNew

Dawn Aerospace
Dawn Aerospace

Delft, Netherlands

Posted on Jul 15, 2026

Description

We are seeking a highly motivated engineering intern to join our thruster development team. The internship centres around an opportunity to design and development of an electric propulsion thruster and to support hot-fire testing of experimental rocket thrusters across multiple thrust classes.

This internship wil require from you to work on prototyping and conceptual design of electric thruster. This includes selecting components, sourcing and ordering parts, assembling a breadboard model, sizing the thruster and testing it to validate against the design intent. Next to that, you will also support hot-fire test campaigns of chemical thrusters at various stages of maturity, working alongside propulsion engineers to execute tests per established test plans and assist in interpreting the resulting data.

Responsibilities

  • Research and design breadboard models to test subcomponents.
  • Document findings and results in a technical report.
  • Propose improvements to thruster test set-ups and/or thruster designs.
  • Prepare thrusters and test setups for hot-fire testing.
  • Execute hot-fire tests on different thruster designs and analyse the results.
  • Support the thruster development team in day-to-day activities.

Qualifications

  • Currently enrolled in a BSc or MSc program (or equivalent) in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or a related field.
  • Available for a full-time internship of at least four months.
  • Demonstrated hands-on engineering experience.
  • Solid theoretical knowledge of chemical propulsion and familiarity with electric propulsion concepts.
  • Experience in technical report writing.
  • Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team.
  • Strong English communication skills, both written and verbal.
  • Proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks)

Desired Experience

  • Practical, hands-on experience with rocket engine development (e.g. through student projects).
  • Familiarity with high-pressure gases, specifically nitrous oxide.
  • Familiarity with electronics and breadboard testing.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

  • In-space propulsion
    We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
  • In-space servicing
    Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensue a clean and safe space for everyone!
  • Spaceplane
    We are developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.

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Important!

If you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

To all recruitment agencies: Dawn Aerospace does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, our employees, or any other company location. Dawn Aerospace will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.