Stage Propulsion
Responsible Engineer
Role Overview
As a Responsible Engineer on the Falcon 9 Stage Propulsion team, I served as the sole owner of multiple flight-critical fluid systems, accountable for their design, analysis, performance, and reliability from initial concept through launch operations. My scope included both single-use and multi-flight systems, balancing development of new designs with iterative upgrades to extend reusability and improve reliability.
I actively communicated across various teams throughout the build, integration, and test process to support my hardware from subcomponent manufacturing through launch and re-flight. Rapid support of operations on the Hawthorne production floor and off-site test and launch facilities allowed me to bridge the design intent with actual hardware performance. This end-to-end involvement enabled rapid troubleshooting, analysis-informed action, and risk evaluation of off-nominal performance critical to maintaining SpaceX’s high launch cadence.
Key Skills
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End-to-End System Design
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System Ownership
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Flight-critical Risk Evaluation
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Cross-team & Cross-site communication
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Qualification Test Design & Execution
Software
NX, FEMAP, ANSYS, NASGRO, VSCode
Hardware In Action
Starlink V2 Mini Deploy
System purpose: timing-critical actuation of the Deploy mechanisms.
My Ownership:
Starting in 2022, I owned the full lifecycle, stepping in at a critical phase to complete analysis and qualification testing for Block 1 hardware. After demonstrating strong technical leadership, I assumed full system ownership and led the Block 3 redesign.
Fairing Recovery
The Falcon 9 fairing serves as a hypersonic aerodynamic shield that deploys into an autonomously controlled spacecraft/reentry vehicle that lands softly in the ocean, recovered, and reused many times.
Key Project Overviews
Starlink V2 Mini Payload Deploy
Problem
The Starlink V2 Mini Deploy Propulsion system was originally developed on an accelerated timeline to meet launch readiness, resulting in a flight-proven but overly complex design. The system relied on legacy manifolds and a complicated network of point-to-point tubing to satisfy performance requirements. This approach resulted in an inefficient system with complicated manufacturing and integration processes. As the new system owner, I spearheaded a redesign to improve reliability, manufacturability, and packaging efficiency while maintaining stringent performance and qualification standards.
Action
I led a clean-sheet redesign of the propulsion tray, leveraging lessons learned from the initial configuration to develop a simplified, high-reliability layout. I re-architected the tray to consolidate valve manifolds and reduce total tube count by over 70% through optimized routing and integrated manifolding. Throughout development, I collaborated closely with avionics, vehicle dynamics, valves, and structures teams to align hardware interfaces, qualification requirements, and performance criteria. I executed system qualification to SpaceX and NASA standards by defining test operations, designing novel fixtures, performing structural analysis, and iterating the design to improve reliability. Once qualified, I worked directly with manufacturing, assembly, and test teams to ensure smooth production rollout, providing rapid support at both Hawthorne and the launch sites.
Results
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Reliability: Simplified layout reduced potential leak points and integration risk. With its first successful flight in October 2023, the design has successfully flown over 220+ times and counting.
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Efficiency: Reduced tube count by 70% and replaced 3 manifolds with 2 consolidated units, lowering system mass and manufacturing hours.
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Schedule: Completed redesign, qualification, and flight integration in under six months
Customer Payload Purge
Problem
A SpaceX customer payload required a continuous purge flow from vehicle integration through liftoff. Falcon did not have an existing purge capability compatible with the payload’s specific separation mechanism. The system needed to meet strict flow-rate performance requirements while remaining structurally robust, maintaining full payload separation functionality, and fitting within extremely tight packaging clearances.
Action
I led the end-to-end design and qualification of a compact purge system to meet the customer requirements. It utilized a novel preloaded spherical-to-conical joint design to achieve reliable sealing performance while mitigating sticking risk during payload separation. The design minimized cantilevered mass and reinforced mounting flanges with structural braces. Throughout development, I coordinated closely with the customer and internal vehicle engineering teams to align my design with payload constraints and launch vehicle operations. After qualifying the design to enveloping environments, I traveled to the customer’s facility for a fit check and deploy demonstration.
Results
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The final hardware was mass-efficient, compatible with all customer and internal requirements, and could be adapted to future missions that utilize the same separation mechanism.
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The purge enabled successful payload launch and deployment.