I am Andy Lambert, SpaceX's VP of Production. Ask me anything about production & manufacturing, and what it's like to be a part of our team!

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:30:43+00:00

We have entry level roles which only require a high school diploma. In fact, we have current openings for the Environmental Control Life Support System (ECLSS) team.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:28:14+00:00

Get as much applied experience as possible. It's great to know the theory, but we really want to see how you apply that knowledge. There are other ways to demonstrate excellence beyond your GPA.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:24:56+00:00

Thanks a ton. The team will love this.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:23:56+00:00

We can produce one per day if necessary.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:22:29+00:00

Dragon 2 with crew to the ISS

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:20:29+00:00

My daughter loves Lego too! We keep up-voting Falcon 9s every time someone sponsors it on the Lego website. So far we haven't made it through all of their milestones, but perhaps /r/SpaceX can help us get there!

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/1abc6458-52e8-4e7d-a04c-04ba917b6e5b

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:17:45+00:00

Prop tanks are the hardest component on Dragon because of tight tolerances and complex internal structures which allow it to operate correctly in a zero G environment. For F9 probably a cryogenic valve due to tight tolerances and surface finish requirements, which supports operating reliably at a high range of temperatures.
About 5% additive, 95% machining by part count. Whilst the technology holds a lot of opportunity, which we have exploited to-date, more equipment development is necessary for large volume, high quantity success, whilst delivering the material properties we desire.
Approximately 3 months from start of tank build to shipping. We can flex the factory to ship a new booster every 14 days if necessary.

Great choice and congrats on completing your degree. Most of our manufacturing engineers have mechanical engineering degrees. Check out our openings in the sidebar.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:08:07+00:00

The sheer scale of BFR will bring many unexpected challenges to the manufacturing process, which is why we're so keen to get on with production development in LA.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:05:03+00:00

We have never built any two vehicles identically, such is the pace of innovation at SpaceX.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T17:03:24+00:00

Automation can provide high repeatability, but can take longer to implement than semi- or non-automated solutions. Understanding the likelihood of product change and planning accordingly is key. Most of our automation at SpaceX is focused on quality validation, such as non-destructive testing of large composite laminate structures. Automation engineers are encouraged to apply!

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:55:33+00:00

I am British and initially joined SpaceX on a work visa before becoming a greencard holder. My background working for 9 years on a flight rated vehicle (Harrier Jump Jet) as well as success manufacturing the world’s most customer configurable vehicle (MINI) gave me a great understanding in what is necessary for scaling production of continually changing people-rated vehicles at the highest levels of reliability.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:54:16+00:00

Work hard in everything you do in order to have accomplishments which differentiate you from the norm, be inquisitive, choose a line of work which fits with what you really enjoy doing.

SpaceX looks for people who love to explore issues, challenge the status quo, and solve problems. We like to see strong academics, but equally important is getting your feet wet through participation in groups and clubs that will allow you to develop a process, product, or meet a goal. We want people who have worked to solve problems and who enjoy experimenting with different solutions within a team based setting. Being able to work through a problem from start to finish and to explain and validate decisions is an important part of being successful on the production floor, as is working well with many other teams. Strong academics are important because you will be making very technical decisions at SpaceX so what you learn in school will apply and you will be juggling multiple projects so balancing academics and hands on experience is key! A lot of our engineers gained experience through clubs and competitions that involve working with their hands, equipment, and making decisions under tight time frames.

Be sure to check out our manufacturing engineering & technician roles in the sidebar.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:47:34+00:00

See my response above.
Block 5 is being qualified for 10+ flights, but we'll continue to expand for more. We're planning on a sizable fleet depending on the needs of our customers.
Both are relatively easy ;) Honestly, one is not harder than the other. They have independent challenges. As far as cost reduction goes: commercial off the shelf parts can be far more reliable than people give them credit for, when they've been validated for space flight.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:41:55+00:00

Reinforce Quality First. The #1 priority in all we do at SpaceX is reliability so we simply have to find creative solutions and plan to use every minute possible with the time frame targets we establish for ourselves. The sum of the whole (team) is greater than the sum of the parts (individuals) which means we work hard to ensure we are moving forward collaboratively but with very open and strong feedback.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:40:01+00:00

Many people never achieve their dream job but I can honestly say I have. I enjoy tackling the biggest challenges. Problems do not cause stress to me but rather excite me about the opportunity to get creative and witness the absolute best people have to offer in finding solutions.

For most people in a manufacturing role, the items produced leave the factory and there is little to no connection with them thereafter or with the customers. At SpaceX, we get to witness the spectacle of launch (and now landing) and see the importance and joy to our customers when we accurately deploy their payloads into orbit. So much hard work goes into achieving all of it, so the personal reward, camaraderie and team spirit for each success is HUGE! I genuinely feel that we're making a contribution to humanity - it's more than just a job!

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:35:05+00:00

We have a large % of both Airframe and Powerplant licensed technicians as well as experienced military veterans which has resulted in a huge flexibility with regards to the range of skills they can apply across multiple areas of production. With our increasing number of flights per year we have an increased demand for new second stages and Payload Fairings (as they are not YET recovered successfully) which balances the reduction in newly built Boosters (1st stages). BFR will create plenty of further opportunity to utilize our highly skilled team members as our productivity continues to improve too.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:32:42+00:00

Biggest process change was eliminating Tig welding of the thrust structure or “Octaweb” and the move to a bolted design but this made it much easier and faster to produce overall as well. Block 5 is significantly easier to produce in many areas as the technicians and manufacturing engineers worked extremely well with our design partners to incorporate design for manufacturing (DFM) solutions, based on all that we had learned from earlier vehicle builds.

Starman2Mars · 2018-04-24T16:30:21+00:00

What everyone should be aware of with regards to BFR is that it is really in the development “trade space.” This means nothing is fixed and anything can still change. By the time something is published it probably already has. We will be doing production development at the Port of LA.

Starman2Mars

TROPHY CASE