The Exploration Company — a pioneering European aerospace startup building next-generation space transportation systems including a lunar lander capable of precision landing and reusable operations — is seeking an exceptional Lunar Lander Test Bench Development Engineer to lead the design, development, and deployment of a dedicated remote test site in the United Arab Emirates for hot-fire propulsion testing and hopper flight demonstrations. This full-time senior role requires 5+ years of experience in propulsion test facilities or hot-fire test bench development, strong expertise in cryogenic fluid systems (LOX, LCH4, Helium, Nitrogen), P&ID development, safety-critical systems, and HAZOP/FMEA analysis. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are available for eligible candidates.
About The Exploration Company — Democratising Space
Mission: Building innovative aerospace technologies advancing the future of space transportation
Programme: Next-generation lunar lander — precision landing and reusable operations capability
UAE Site: Establishing dedicated remote test site in UAE for hot-fire propulsion testing and hopper flight demonstrations
Culture: Agile · Open and Collaborative · Transparent risk management · Mission-driven international team
Diversity: Equal opportunity employer — relocation assistance and visa sponsorship provided where applicable
Why Join The Exploration Company
Agile: Fast decisions, goal-focused systems-thinking — minimal bureaucracy, maximum engineering output
Open: Transparent about risks — genuine cross-functional collaboration to overcome them together
Mission: Democratising space — a rare, meaningful, and career-defining professional opportunity
Relocation: Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship provided for those willing to relocate
Impact: Your work directly enables a spacecraft to land on the moon — that is not a career, it is a legacy
Position Overview
The Lunar Lander Test Bench Development Engineer at The Exploration Company is one of the most technically challenging and genuinely mission-critical engineering roles in the global aerospace sector right now. You will lead the end-to-end design, development, and deployment of a new remote propulsion test site in the UAE — from defining system-level requirements through developing P&IDs for a complete cryogenic propulsion test facility, specifying and implementing LOX, LCH4, Helium, and Nitrogen propellant and pressurisation systems, designing autonomous remote site infrastructure, coordinating civil engineering, implementing safety-critical automation, and leading all phases from concept through commissioning and operations readiness.
This role sits at the intersection of propulsion engineering, cryogenic systems design, infrastructure development, safety-critical control systems, and multidisciplinary project leadership — in a remote UAE environment where your engineering decisions directly determine whether a lunar lander can be safely tested before it attempts to land on the moon. If you are a propulsion test facility engineer who thrives on complexity, autonomy, and the knowledge that your work enables humanity’s return to the lunar surface, this is the role you have been waiting for.
Why This Role Is Unlike Any Other Engineering Job in the UAE in 2026: There are very few engineering roles anywhere in the world where the test facility you design will directly enable a spacecraft to land on the moon. The Lunar Lander Test Bench Development Engineer is not supporting an established programme — they are building from scratch the infrastructure that makes the entire UAE-based testing programme possible. Every P&ID you develop, every cryogenic system you specify, every HAZOP you conduct is a direct contribution to validating a lunar lander that will carry cargo — and potentially people — to the surface of the moon. That is not a career role. That is a legacy.
Key Responsibilities
Test Site Development & System Requirements
- Define and synthesise system-level requirements for the remote lunar lander test site supporting hot-fire propulsion testing and hopper flight demonstrations — establishing the complete technical requirements baseline governing design of all test site infrastructure, fluid systems, power systems, safety systems, and automation architecture from concept through operations
- Lead design and implementation of the complete test facility including ground infrastructure and utilities — serving as the lead systems engineer for the entire UAE test site from initial concept layout through detailed design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and operational readiness for The Exploration Company’s lunar lander testing programme
- Specify and implement propellant and pressurisation systems including LOX, LCH4, Helium, and Nitrogen — designing the complete cryogenic propellant storage, transfer, conditioning, and delivery systems and high-pressure pressurisation gas systems that supply propulsion test articles during hot-fire and hopper flight demonstration operations
- Design infrastructure enabling autonomous operation of a remote test site — including power generation and storage, logistics infrastructure, communications systems, and safety management systems allowing the UAE test site to operate safely with a minimal on-site personnel footprint
Cryogenic & High-Pressure Fluid Systems Engineering
- Develop P&IDs for propulsion test facilities and associated ground support equipment — producing the complete set of Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams defining all fluid system interfaces, valve configurations, instrumentation locations, safety relief paths, and operational modes for the UAE test site’s cryogenic and high-pressure fluid infrastructure
- Design, size, and select components for cryogenic and high-pressure fluid systems — specifying all pipes, valves, regulators, filters, sensors, actuators, vacuum-jacketed transfer lines, and storage vessels for the LOX and LCH4 propellant systems and helium and nitrogen pressurisation systems
- Ensure safe handling, storage, and distribution of cryogenic propellants and pressurants — developing operational procedures, safety barriers, detection systems, emergency response provisions, and personnel protection measures for all phases of cryogenic propellant handling at the UAE remote test site
Safety Systems, Automation & Hazard Analysis
- Define and implement automation architectures for test operations and facility control — designing control system architecture, sequencing logic, interlock systems, and human-machine interfaces enabling safe and repeatable hot-fire test and flight demonstration operations, including safe vehicle connections
- Perform hazard analyses including FMEA, HAZOP, and risk assessments — leading systematic hazard identification and analysis across all test site systems, documenting hazards, assessing risk levels, implementing mitigation measures, and maintaining the hazard log throughout the facility development lifecycle
- Develop test procedures, operational concepts, and commissioning plans — producing the complete documentation governing safe and effective execution of all commissioning activities, hot-fire campaigns, and hopper flight demonstrations including emergency response and operational checklists
Project Leadership & Multidisciplinary Coordination
- Lead end-to-end development of the test facility including design, procurement, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and operations readiness — driving progress, managing risks, and maintaining the schedule, cost, and technical performance that The Exploration Company’s lunar lander testing programme depends on
- Manage technical interfaces with internal teams, suppliers, and UAE civil engineering partners — coordinating across propulsion, avionics, structures, and operations teams; fluid system equipment suppliers; and control system integrators throughout the test site development programme
- Perform trade-off analyses to optimise performance, safety, cost, and schedule — making informed design decisions across all aspects of the test facility in a constrained timeline and resource environment
- Support on-site deployment, integration, and test campaigns in the UAE — travelling periodically to the UAE test site during development, installation, commissioning, and live propulsion test and flight demonstration operations
Required Profile
Essential Requirements
- Degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, energy systems, or a related field — from a recognised institution
- Minimum 5+ years of experience in propulsion test facilities or hot-fire test bench development — with direct hands-on experience leading or significantly contributing to the design, development, commissioning, or operation of rocket propulsion hot-fire test infrastructure
- Strong expertise in fluid systems engineering including cryogenic propellants — P&ID development, component selection, and safe design of LOX and/or liquid methane handling systems for aerospace propulsion applications
- Experience with ground support equipment for rocket propulsion systems — including fill/drain systems, conditioning systems, ignition systems, fire suppression, and data acquisition
- Knowledge of automation systems and safety-critical control architectures for industrial or test environments — ability to define functional safety requirements and specify control system architecture
- Willingness to travel periodically to the United Arab Emirates — a firm operational requirement across site development, commissioning, and test campaign phases
Why This Lunar Lander Engineer Role Is Career-Defining in 2026
The Exploration Company is not building a derivative of an existing system — it is developing a genuinely new next-generation lunar lander for a commercial space market that did not exist five years ago. The UAE test site this role will design and build from scratch is the physical infrastructure that validates that lander’s propulsion system — making this one of the most directly consequential engineering roles in the new space economy.
For a propulsion test facility engineer who wants their work to matter at the most fundamental level — building something genuinely unprecedented, in a genuinely challenging environment, for a mission that is genuinely extraordinary — The Exploration Company’s lunar lander test bench development role in the UAE is the opportunity that defines a career. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are available. Submit your CV now for immediate consideration.
Who Should Apply?
- Propulsion Test Facility Engineers with 5+ Years Hot-Fire Experience: With direct experience leading or contributing to rocket propulsion hot-fire test bench development — cryogenic propellant systems, high-pressure fluid infrastructure, safety-critical automation, and hazard analysis for liquid-propellant rocket engine test campaigns
- Cryogenic Fluid Systems Engineers from Aerospace or Energy Sectors: With deep expertise in LOX, liquid methane, or other cryogenic propellant handling system design — including P&ID development, component sizing, and operational safety provisions for cryogenic propellant storage and distribution
- Aerospace Ground Support Equipment Engineers: With experience designing or operating GSE for liquid-propellant rocket engines — fill/drain systems, umbilical interfaces, conditioning systems, and the complete propellant and pressurisation infrastructure that supports propulsion test campaigns
- Safety-Critical Systems Engineers with HAZOP and FMEA Experience: Who have led formal hazard analysis activities on high-energy test facility or industrial process systems — with the analytical rigour that cryogenic propellant test site design demands
- Mission-Driven Engineers Willing to Travel to UAE: Who are ready to lead a lunar lander test facility from concept to operations in a remote UAE environment — with The Exploration Company’s full relocation and visa sponsorship support
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