Impulse Space

In-space propulsion and payload mobility

Senior Controls Engineer - Pat

Electrical EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeRedondo Beach, CA, USA$150k - $180k /yr

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's or master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Controls/Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a similar field.
At least 5 years of experience working on pointing, tracking, or guidance and control systems, such as satellite attitude control, gimbal systems, or optical tracking systems.
A strong foundation in control theory and signal processing, including experience designing and tuning feedback control loops for high-precision systems.
Knowledge of sensor fusion and state estimation.
Understanding of optical pointing mechanisms, pointing errors, and jitter spectra.
Experience with gimbals, fast steering mirrors, precision opto-mechanical actuators, or similar hardware.
Proficiency in programming for algorithm development and real-time implementation.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex hardware/software systems in a lab or field environment.

Responsibilities

Lead development of the pointing and tracking subsystem for the free-space optical laser communication terminal.
Design software and hardware algorithms and controls, integrating optics, sensors, and control theory.
Own the end-to-end pointing, acquisition, and tracking architecture for the free-space optical system to achieve sub-microradian pointing stability.
Develop pointing budgets accounting for spacecraft attitude dynamics, thermal drift, and atmospheric disturbance, and allocate error to subsystems.
Design and implement algorithms to rapidly acquire the transmitter and maintain lock.
Develop control loops for fast steering mirrors or precision actuators to actively suppress jitter and beam wander; tune controllers to mitigate disturbances and minimize pointing error.
Build a hardware-in-the-loop testbed to validate pointing, acquisition, and tracking performance.
Rapidly prototype algorithms and simulations to develop the design.
Support troubleshooting and iteration during optical alignment sessions and system tests.
Interface with the optical, photonics, and modem teams to ensure an integrated design.

As a Senior Acquisition, Tracking & Pointing Controls Engineer, you will lead the development of the pointing and tracking subsystem for our FSO laser communication terminal. You will design the algorithms and controls (both software and hardware). This role blends optics, sensors, and control theory.

This role is on-site and will interface heavily with the optical, photonics, and modem teams to ensure an integrated design.

Own the end-to-end pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) architecture for the FSO system to achieve sub-µrad pointing stability; develop pointing budgets that account for spacecraft attitude dynamics, thermal drift, and atmospheric disturbance, and allocate error to subsystems.
Design and implement algorithms to rapidly acquire transmitter and maintain lock.
Develop the control loops for fast steering mirrors (FSM) or precision actuators to actively suppress jitter and beam wander. Tune controllers to mitigate disturbances and minimize pointing error.
Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) Testing: Build a testbed to validate PAT performance, including hardware-in-loop simulations.
Rapidly prototype algorithms and simulations to flesh out design
Support troubleshooting and iteration during optical alignment sessions and system tests.

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Aerospace Engineering, Controls/Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics or similar field.
5+ years of experience working on pointing, tracking, or guidance/control systems (such as satellite attitude control, gimbal systems, or optical tracking systems).
Strong foundation in control theory and signal processing. Experience designing and tuning feedback control loops for high-precision systems.
Knowledge of sensor fusion and state estimation.
Understanding of optical pointing mechanisms, pointing errors, and jitter spectra.
Experience with gimbals, fast steering mirrors, precision opto-mechanical actuators or similar hardware.
Proficiency in programming for algorithm development and real-time implementation.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex hardware/software systems in a lab or field environment.

About the Company

Impulse Space

In-space propulsion and payload mobility

Impulse Space builds in-space mobility services and propulsion to move payloads after launch. Its products include Mira for precise maneuvering and rendezvous, Helios high-energy kick stage, Caravan rideshare to higher-energy orbits, and propulsion lines Saiph, Deneb, and Rigel. These tools act as in-space tugs and stages to push, dock, and deploy payloads in orbit. Led by SpaceX veteran Tom Mueller, Impulse Space uses flight-proven hardware and a growing network of facilities to make reaching higher-energy orbits faster and cheaper, expanding access for customers.

Company size: 501-1,000
Company stage: Series D
Total funding: $1.4B
Headquarters: Redondo Beach, CA
Founded: 2021

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