Payload interface, dispenser, and separation mechanism design

Starlink demonstration satellites ("Tin tin") at SpaceX

At the dawn of the Starlink program, SpaceX needed a payload dispenser to hold the satellites to the rocket and let them go just at the right time. The dispenser also had to accommodate PAZ, the primary mission customer. I was the responsible engineer.

I designed the pyrotechnic pin-pullers from scratch, as well as the separation pushers and the dispenser structure itself, and collaborated tightly with the team in Seattle to define the interface. All designed in NX, and analyzed with many hand calculations in conjunction with Femap/Nastran and ANSYS. Pin-puller operating dynamics were simulated in MATLAB. All hardware was shepherded through qualification and acceptance testing per SMC-S-016 prior to flight.

Tooling design, qualification test design, and program management

Iridium NEXT constellation at SpaceX

The Iridium NEXT constellation launch contract was one of SpaceX's first big commercial contracts. I designed tooling to ensure that the four interfaces, 10 feet apart, were built within .02" flatness on our composite dispenser. To validate our dispenser design, I designed an epic structural test to simulate launch stresses on the payload dispenser. Throughout the production process of the composite dispensers and the separation mechanisms, I kept internal and external production and test teams on schedule, rapidly addressed any issues with robust solutions, and worked with our mission management to ensure all hardware was ready for launch on time.

An ultra-high pressure pump for a research laboratory

The lab needed equipment that could sustain an extremely high pressure indefinitely, with a variety of gases. With my own custom dynamic seal design, we achieved leak-tight performance, even with leaky gases like Helium. Hydraulic and pneumatic actuation were used in different circumstances. In addition to hand calculations, ANSYS Mechanical was used to simulate the non-linear behavior of material beyond its yield strength, especially in certain structures that were not were plain cylinders! Careful material selection was required to meet all environmental requirements. I even got to pitch in on the software end by writing the ladder logic for the PLC for the state machine that I defined.