---
title: 'Avionics Mechanical Engineer - Summer Internship 2027 at Inversion'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/avionics-mechanical-engineer-summer-internship-2027-inversion-playa-vista-g0crbm6p0qzj'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-17'
---

# Avionics Mechanical Engineer - Summer Internship 2027 at Inversion

- **Company:** Inversion
- **Location:** Playa Vista, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace/jobs/4744390005

## Job description

Advanced Reentry Technologies

Who We Are:

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology to enable next-generation capabilities from space. By combining high-performance materials, precision aerodynamics, and mission-driven autonomy, Inversion is transforming reentry into an operational capability for an entirely new class of missions.

The company’s highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and other national security missions that require precise, controlled flight through the atmosphere. Arc creates an entirely new transportation domain, unlocking unprecedented speed and global reach.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates its spacecraft under one roof, enabling the company to move rapidly from concept to flight. The company is backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, with customers across the U.S. government and commercial space industry.

Position Overview:

As an Avionics Mechanical Engineering Intern, you will support the design, build, integration, and testing of mechanical hardware that enables 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.

You will gain hands-on experience taking hardware from early design concepts through detailed design, prototyping, fabrication, integration, and environmental testing. 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:

- Work closely with avionics and mechanical engineers to design, build, integrate, and test mechanical hardware for flight avionics systems.
- Support the design and packaging of 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/bonding provisions, and serviceability.
- Participate in environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal cycling, and thermal-vacuum testing.
- Assist with troubleshooting 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:

- Must be 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+ months of applied engineering experience (internship, laboratory, and personal/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.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.

The California annual base hourly rate for this role is currently $38-$41. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. 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. Learn more about the ITAR [here](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.

Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.  If you are a US Job Applicant see the [CCPA Privacy Policy Notice](https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa) for further details.

## About Inversion

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Inversion builds advanced reentry vehicles to turn space into a global logistics network for Earth, enabling rapid, precise delivery of payloads anywhere on the planet.
- **Entity Type**: Private (funding stage: Series unknown; raised $44M from investors including Y Combinator, plus a $71M U.S. Space Force contract)
- **Headquarters**: Playa Vista, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Justin Fiaschetti and Austin Briggs

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Aerospace & Defense – Reentry vehicles, space logistics, hypersonic delivery
- **Target customers**: U.S. Department of Defense, national security agencies, and future commercial logistics operators (B2G / B2B)
- **Mission**: “To make Earth radically more accessible by turning space into a global logistics network.”

## Products & Services
- **Ray**: Inversion’s first in-house developed spacecraft and reentry capsule, built to validate key subsystems for future vehicles. Developed by a team of 25 for under $1M.
- **Arc**: Flagship autonomous, reusable, low-cost space-based delivery vehicle designed to deploy payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour. Dual-use for defense and commercial applications.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $44M (led by Y Combinator and other investors) + $71M Space Force contract
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Y Combinator, Anduril Industries (partnered on space-based interceptors for Golden Dome), U.S. Space Force
- **Growth Signals**: 60-person team, 55,000 sqft facility in Los Angeles, dedicated test site in Mojave Desert, successful orbital flight of Ray, partnership with Anduril for Golden Dome program

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed & cost**: Entire spacecraft developed by 25 people for under $1M – dramatically faster and cheaper than traditional aerospace.
- **In-house vertical integration**: Nearly every system (propulsion, avionics, thermal protection, parachutes) developed internally.
- **Dual-use focus**: Technology serves urgent defense needs while laying groundwork for commercial logistics.
- **Experienced founding team**: Former SpaceX (Raptor engine) and ABL Space Systems engineers.

## Strategic Focus
- **Immediate priority**: Deliver on the Space Force contract and Golden Dome partnership with Anduril for space-based interceptors.
- **Long-term vision**: Build a reusable, on-demand logistics network using Low-Earth Orbit to enable global delivery in under an hour.
- **Technical roadmap**: Scale reentry vehicle production, improve landing precision, and expand military and commercial applications.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasizes “talent density” and “extreme ownership” – a small, high-impact team where every engineer owns critical hardware flying in space.
- **Work environment**: Hands-on, fast iteration – rapid testing at Mojave test site, full machine shop, cleanroom integration facility, and parachute manufacturing on-site.
- **Hybrid / office**: Likely on-site heavy (engineering, manufacturing, testing); HQ in Playa Vista, CA.
- **Perks**: Generous parental leave, family and childcare benefits (per Built In).
- **Engineering culture**: Build and test own hardware; work across GNC, avionics, propulsion, structures, and simulation. 32 open roles on Greenhouse as of mid-2026.

## Sources
1. [inversionspace.com](https://www.inversionspace.com/)
2. [inversionspace.com/company](https://www.inversionspace.com/company)
3. [inversionspace.com/careers](https://www.inversionspace.com/careers)
4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace)
5. [builtin.com/company/inversion-space](https://builtin.com/company/inversion-space)

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