UTAT Mounts, Brackets, and Simulations

As part of the Opto-Mechanical team at UTAT Space Systems, I contribute to the structural and optical reliability of our satellite (FINCH) payload by running analysis workflows and supporting subsystem research.

Our team’s mission focuses on the design of the hyperspectral imager housing, where the magic happens; tt contains the Payload Electronics and Optics teams.

Space hardware is unforgiving — tiny misalignments, overstressed mounts, or misread launch specs can determine mission success. Working on UTAT’s opto-mechanical team has taught me how to:

• engineer for reliability,

• validate with simulation,

• integrate across systems, and

• communicate clearly in high-complexity environments.

It’s exactly the kind of multidisciplinary, simulation-driven, purposeful engineering I want to keep pursuing.

Objectives

• Validate that optical assemblies and structural housings can withstand launch loads.

• Identify risks related to vibration, buckling, and random acceleration environments.

• Build subsystem-level insight into how component geometry, materials, and mounting strategy affect performance.

• Support cross-team integration with payload, structures, and mission design.

Contributions

• Simulation & FEA:

  • Ran vibration, buckling, and random vibration analyses on critical opto-mechanical components.

  • Conducted frequency sweeps to identify potential resonance issues and informed design revisions.

  • Evaluated fastener patterns, lens mounts, and support structures for stiffness and safety margins.

• Launch Provider Research:

  • Compiled mechanical environment specifications (GSFC-STD-7000, ESPA-class requirements, rideshare constraints, etc.).

  • Compared vibration profiles and load cases across different providers (rideshare vs. dedicated launchers).

  • Created internal reference documents to guide the team’s design envelope.

• Team & Culture:

  • Helped organize team socials, onboarding events, and cross-subteam mixers to build cohesion and improve team culture.

Technical Skills

• Finite Element Analysis: modal, vibration, buckling, random vibration; boundary condition setup; interpreting stress and displacement fields.

• Aerospace structural design: understanding launch environments, stiffness requirements, fastener design, optical alignment sensitivity.

• Technical communication: writing summaries for design reviews, presenting findings to other subsystems.

• Team operations: event organization, collaboration across technical and non-technical roles.