Thomas P.

Experience

• Avionics Engineer Astrolab · Full-time Nov 2021 – Oct 2025 3 yrs 11 mos Los Angeles, CA, United States Developed lunar rover power architecture for the FLIP Lunar Rover program as Responsible Engineer for power systems and motor controllers. Owned system requirements, hardware deliverables, and full mission power models including battery drawdown and system loads.
  Led power and C&DH architecture development for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) program. Built MATLAB/Simulink temporal models of rover avionics power system, including battery, solar array, and converter sizing, FET switching losses, and radiation effects analysis.
  Designed, built, and tested a 3-phase GaN FET inverter board for sensor-less BLDC motor control and demonstrated open-loop torque control for wheel actuators and solar array deployment.
  Architected and tested the full electrical system for a 2 m 6-DOF robotic arm with BLDC harmonic drive tuning for precise position and velocity control. Designed and tested a shunt regulator for regen handling on a 1500 kg terrestrial rover prototype.
• Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer Millennium Space Systems · Full-time Mar 2021 – Oct 2021 7 mos Los Angeles, CA, United States Working as a hands-on engineer designing and building components and structures for satellites.
  * Responsible engineer for all batteries on all spacecraft programs.
  * Designed from scratch, built, and tested new battery cell enclosures for LEO and GEO missions in only three months.
  * Calculated tolerance stackup to ensure fit and compression of cell components. Made drawings per ASME Y14.5.
  * Led qualification testing campaigns through TVAC, vibration, and shock testing. Wrote functional test procedures.
  * Assembled multiple prototypes and integrated flight-grade assemblies onto spacecraft in a cleanroom.
  * Batteries have been launched on spacecraft and are currently operational in orbit.
  * Responsible engineer for primary satellite bus structure and internal component layout for a LEO satellite Proposal.
  * Designed solar array deployment system and mechanism. Sized motors and designed brackets for panels.