SpaceX Mechanical Propulsion Engineer Full-Time Technical Interview

Role: Mechanical / Propulsion Engineer
Result: Did not advance
Report time: August 2024
Application channel: Recruiter outreach

The candidate was a senior mechanical-engineering student scheduled to graduate in December and was completing an internship that was likely to produce a separate full-time offer. This was the candidate's first engineering interview.

Before the interview

A recruiter contacted the candidate and scheduled the interview only two days later, leaving about one day for focused preparation. The candidate was especially interested in propulsion work at Starbase.

Interview content

The interview was conducted directly by the director of propulsion and a propulsion engineer. It covered:

1. The candidate's greatest technical achievement during the internship.
2. Leadership experience in a university club.
3. Stress in a cantilever beam with a load applied at one end.
4. Where a pressure vessel would fail when pressurized to failure.
5. Two fluid-mechanics questions involving mass-flow rate and the operation of a device.

The candidate felt comfortable discussing the internship and leadership experience but became nervous during the technical questions. A later update confirmed that the candidate did not advance and accepted an offer from another aerospace company.