Mechanical Engineer Summer Intern
Urban SkyAbout Urban Sky:
Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup that pioneers utilization of the stratosphere and reimagines the way humans view and analyze the earth. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems, and the data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis.
Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment.
We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members.
About The Role
Urban Sky is looking for a motivated Mechanical Engineering intern to join our R&D team for the summer. This is a hands-on role at the intersection of mechanical design, prototyping, and hardware development. You will work directly alongside our mechanical engineering team on real projects that fly to the stratosphere — not busy work.
The primary focus of this internship is a full redesign of our Action Cam payload, transitioning the system from its current Apeman action cameras to an Insta360 platform. This involves CAD work in Onshape, 3D printing and prototyping, hardware validation testing, and documentation. Beyond the Action Cam project, the intern will also own day-to-day operations of our R&D 3D printer room — managing print jobs, maintaining equipment, and keeping things running smoothly for the broader team. Additionally, the intern will support our transition of select hardware components to injection molding at scale, including design-for-manufacturability updates and working with vendors to get parts quoted and ordered.
This is a rare opportunity to work on real aerospace hardware in a fast-paced startup environment where your work will literally leave the ground.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the mechanical redesign of the Action Cam payload to accommodate a new Insta360 camera platform, including new housing, mount geometry, cradle design, and Quick Disconnect interface updates
- Develop and iterate on CAD designs in Onshape, following team conventions for part naming, revision control, and BOM management
- 3D print, assemble, and test prototype hardware; conduct fit checks and functional validation against a formal requirements set
- Execute a structured validation plan against all product requirements and document results in Notion
- Manage daily operations of the R&D 3D printer farm — sending prints, monitoring jobs, removing and delivering completed parts, and maintaining a clean and organized workspace
- Perform routine 3D printer maintenance including nozzle replacements, bed leveling, filament drying and swapping, and keeping a maintenance log
- Bring up new printers, calibrate them, and integrate them into the team's workflow
- Support the transition of select components (fill port housings, Starlink bracket) from 3D printing to injection molding — including DFM CAD updates, vendor quoting, and order coordination
- Contribute to hardware documentation including assembly instructions and design notes
- Support the broader mechanical engineering team with small tasks as they arise throughout the summer
Qualifications
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field
- Hands-on experience with 3D CAD — Onshape experience is a plus, but any major parametric CAD platform is acceptable
- Experience with 3D printing (FDM), including hands-on operation and basic troubleshooting
- Strong mechanical intuition and comfort working with physical hardware
- Ability to work independently, stay organized, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
- Excellent written communication skills — this role involves real documentation that the team will rely on
Nice-to-Haves / Preferred Skills
- Electrical engineering coursework or hands-on experience with electronics and embedded systems — candidates with EE exposure will stand out
- Firmware or software experience (Python, C/C++, or similar) — exceptional candidates may have the opportunity to contribute to firmware-adjacent work
- Experience with design for manufacturing (DFM), including injection molding or machined parts
- Familiarity with tolerance analysis and GD&T
- Prior internship or project experience in aerospace, robotics, or other hardware-intensive fields
- Experience with revision control workflows
- A strong portfolio of personal or academic hardware projects — show us things you have built and tested
Requirements
- Must be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university
- Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
- Must be located in or able to relocate to Denver, CO for the duration of the internship (May – August)
- In-person role; this is not a remote position
Benefits
- Hands-on experience with real flight hardware in a fast-growing aerospace startup
- Direct mentorship from experienced mechanical and hardware engineers
- Paid internship
Colorado Pay Transparency
$25.00 USD / hour
Urban Sky is required to post this salary range per Colorado law. Your salary will be determined based on your abilities and experience.
NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes that they have the skills and the passion necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.
This position may require the candidate to deal with commodities, software, technology, defense articles, and/or technical data which are subject to the Export Administration Regulations and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Additional information may be requested so as to determine whether export authorization is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. If authorization is required, employment will be contingent upon the Company successfully obtaining such authorization from the relevant government agency.
Urban Sky is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.