Chase Jones
About Chase Jones
Chase Jones is a Structures Engineer III at BLUE ORIGIN, with previous experience at SpaceX and a background in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University.
Current Position at Blue Origin
Chase Jones currently holds the position of Structures Engineer III at Blue Origin in Kent, Washington, United States. He started this role in 2022. His responsibilities include advanced structural analysis and design, utilizing tools such as Siemens NX 10, MathCAD, and ANSYS. His expertise in structural engineering contributes significantly to Blue Origin's projects.
Previous Experience at SpaceX
Chase Jones has extensive experience working at SpaceX, covering various positions from 2018 to 2022. He worked as a Structures Engineer, Structures Engineer II, and Starlink Payloads Engineer II. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in the design and certification of the 10x reusable base heat shield for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles. He expanded his scope to include engine boots, tank internal components, and landing leg deployment mechanisms. His work contributed to crew certification efforts with NASA and EELV certifications with the USAF. He was promoted to Engineer II in May 2020 due to his remarkable contributions.
Educational Background
Chase Jones holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University, where he studied from 2013 to 2017. His foundational education in mechanical engineering included involvement in the design and testing of competition vehicles, such as the Shell Eco Marathon EV prototype, the American Solar Challenge, and the ASME Human Powered Vehicle. Prior to this, he achieved his high school diploma from De La Salle, where he studied from 2009 to 2013.
Notable Engineering Projects
Throughout his career, Chase Jones has been involved in several high-impact engineering projects. At SpaceX, he was instrumental in reducing refurbishment scope and efforts to meet increased launch cadence in 2019/2020. His work included the design and certification of reusable structural components for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. He also contributed to crew certification efforts with NASA and EELV certifications with the USAF. In college, he designed and manufactured two space frame chassis tested in competitions, earning the lightest frame award in the ASME Human Powered Vehicle West competition.
Technical Skills and Software Proficiency
Chase Jones possesses strong technical skills in structural analysis and design. He utilizes various industry-standard software tools including Siemens NX 10, MathCAD, ANSYS, ABAQUS CAE, META, ANSA, and NASGRO. These tools enable him to conduct detailed structural analysis and contribute to high-stakes engineering projects, both at SpaceX and Blue Origin.