Avionics Mechanical Engineer - Summer Internship 2027 Verified today

About Inversion Space

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company developing advanced reentry technology for next-generation space missions. The company's highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and national security missions. Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates its spacecraft under one roof in Los Angeles.

The Role

As an Avionics Mechanical Engineering Intern, you will support the design, build, integration, and testing of mechanical hardware for Inversion's flight avionics systems. You will sit within the Avionics team and work closely with electrical, RF, embedded software, manufacturing, and vehicle engineering teams to develop robust mechanical solutions for flight-critical electronics and avionics systems.

This is a practical, hardware-focused internship for students interested in aerospace structures, mechanical design, electronics packaging, thermal management, mechanisms, and rapid hardware development.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, integrate, and test mechanical hardware for flight avionics systems working with avionics and mechanical engineers.
• Design and package flight computers, electronics, RF systems, sensors, batteries, and other avionics components.
• Create and modify 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, and manufacturing documentation.
• Support mechanical design reviews, including tolerance analysis, fastener selection, interfaces, manufacturability, and assembly considerations.
• Build and evaluate prototypes and engineering test articles using machining, additive manufacturing, sheet metal, composites, or other fabrication processes.
• Support vehicle-level avionics integration, including mechanical interfaces, mounting, harness routing, connector access, grounding and bonding provisions, and serviceability.
• Participate in environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal cycling, and thermal-vacuum testing.
• Troubleshoot mechanical integration issues and rapidly develop hardware solutions to unblock testing and vehicle integration.
• Collect, analyze, and document test data and support generation of engineering reports and design documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Enrolled in a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree program in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• GPA of 3.0 or above.
• 3 or more months of applied engineering experience (internship, laboratory, or personal and team project experience is applicable).
• Coursework or project experience in mechanical design, structures, materials, manufacturing, thermal systems, or related disciplines.
• Experience using a 3D CAD package such as SolidWorks, Creo, NX, Fusion 360, or similar.
• Strong problem-solving, written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical results clearly to multidisciplinary teams.

Desired Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing and building mechanical hardware.
• Experience creating engineering drawings with GD&T and appropriate manufacturing tolerances.
• Experience with machining, CNC, sheet metal, additive manufacturing, composites, or other fabrication processes.
• Familiarity with structural analysis, FEA, thermal analysis, or mechanical simulation tools.
• Experience designing mechanical hardware for electronics or embedded systems.
• Understanding of fasteners, joints, materials, tolerances, and mechanical interfaces.
• Experience with vibration, shock, thermal, or other environmental testing.
• Experience designing hardware through Formula SAE, student rocketry, CubeSat, robotics, or similar engineering projects.
• Experience working with PCBs, connectors, cables, harnesses, sensors, or other avionics hardware.
• Familiarity with aerospace hardware development, configuration control, or engineering change processes.
• Previous internship experience at a space, aerospace, or hardware startup.

Work Location and Compensation

This position requires in-office presence in Playa Vista, California. The California annual base hourly rate is currently $38 to $41. Pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on interviews, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, and internal equity considerations.

ITAR Compliance

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.