Izzet Sarikaya

Lead and mentor a team of mechanical engineers in the design, analysis, and development of satellite propulsion systems, ensuring alignment with project timelines, technical requirements, and quality standards. Drive simulation and analysis efforts (thermal, structural), reviewing and validating FEA models to ensure robustness under launch and in-orbit environments. Manage technical interfaces with external vendors and suppliers, coordinating component procurement, resolving design/manufacturing issues, and ensuring on-time delivery of prototypes and flight hardware. Lead system-level design reviews and technical decision-making, balancing performance, cost, risk, and schedule constraints. Coordinate and supervise environmental testing campaigns (thermal, vibration, shock), ensuring compliance with ECSS. Establish and maintain engineering documentation, including design reports, analysis justifications, test results, and compliance matrices for internal and customer-facing reviews. Act as primary mechanical point of contact for cross-functional teams (systems, electronics, software), ensuring seamless integration and issue resolution.

Performed mechanical design and performance improvements of a Nano Feep satellite thruster using SolidWorks and PDM structure, ensuring design integrity and manufacturing feasibility. Performed comprehensive FEA simulations (including static, modal, random and harmonic vibration) using ANSYS and FEMAP to build, validate, and maintain finite element models accounting for contact, geometric nonlinearity, buckling, fatigue, fracture risk, and transient deployment dynamics, while verifying safety margins and structural integrity under launch and in-orbit conditions. Generated detailed 2D engineering drawings and technical documentations. Participated in shock and vibration testing, supporting test setup, execution, and post-analysis to ensure compliance with space qualification standards (ECSS).

Engaged in regular technical meetings with ESA (European Space Agency), stakeholders, team members and suppliers, presenting progress updates, design reviews (gate reviews), and resolving integration challenges. Designed an ATOX protection mechanism for thrusters, performing torque budget calculations, component selection, and multibody dynamics analysis to ensure reliable deployment and operational performance.

Reviewed all live patents and applicable standards for electro pneumatic brake control system. Created cost effective, modular and unique architecture with high TRL (Technology Readiness Level) for brake control system. Reduced cost of brake control panels 5% with optimizing architecture and component selection. Created modular brake control system applicable for different control level B01, B02, B03 and B05 (car control, bogie control, axle control). Owned two patents after unique architecture creation (Integration of brake Electronics on Pivotable cover, Brake Pneumatic Panel modular arrangement in IP65 Enclosure). Created functional, performance, mechanical and pneumatic interface, validation requirements for brake control panels. Led CbC (Close by Close) discussions with external suppliers during weekly meetings to clarify technical requirements, manage component selection and discuss about manufacturability. Led regular technical meetings internally to provide expertise, engineering support, explain progress, design, cost, constraints, schedule and coordination of mechanicalteam for assigned tasks. Owned reliable brake control unit design (including 3D modelling and GD&T) from concept to release with performing calculation and simulations. Created Digital Twin (simulation model) on Matlab Simulink to check and optimize gas flow during brake application and release for service brake and emergency brake (achieved 1.1 s service brake application on car control level). Created Digital Twin on Matlab Simulink to perform thermal simulation during brake application and release to minimize temperature and pressure change after activation/deactivation of electro pneumatic components. Involved FMEA and FEA activities for brake control panels.