Impulse Space · 3 weeks ago
Senior Acquisition, Tracking & Pointing Engineer
Redondo Beach, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$150K/yr - $180K/yr
5+ years expImpulse Space is a company focused on spacecraft manufacturing, and they are seeking a Senior Acquisition, Tracking & Pointing Engineer to lead the development of the pointing and tracking subsystem for their FSO laser communication terminal. This role involves designing algorithms and controls, defining the PAT architecture, and integrating various systems to ensure optimal performance.
AerospaceManufacturingSpace Travel
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Own the end-to-end pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) architecture for the FSO system. Develop pointing budgets that account for spacecraft attitude dynamics, thermal drift, and atmospheric disturbance, and allocate error to subsystems (gimbal, fine steering mirror, sensors). Define the control system requirements (bandwidth, stability, accuracy) needed to achieve sub-µrad pointing stability
Design and implement algorithms to acquire transmitter and rapidly and maintain lock. This includes search strategies (spiral scans, beacon acquisition sequences), tracking filters (Kalman or extended Kalman filters for sensor fusion), and loss-of-signal recovery strategies. Develop software and/or FPGA logic for real-time centroiding of acquisition camera images and tracking detector signals (quad cells or position sensing devices)
Develop the control loops for fast steering mirrors (FSM) or precision actuators to actively suppress jitter and beam wander. Integrate IMU data and other inertial references to feed-forward or stabilize line-of-sight pointing. Tune closed-loop controllers to mitigate disturbances (reaction wheels, vibration) and atmospheric tilt errors, achieving residual pointing error within the link budget
Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) Testing: Build a testbed to validate PAT performance, including hardware-in-loop simulations. For example, set up a dynamic optical simulator with a movable target, turbulence phase screens, and a real-time controller. Test the acquisition time and tracking robustness under varying conditions (simulated satellite motion, atmospheric turbulence levels) and iterate on algorithms as needed
Develop quick software prototypes or simulations of pointing algorithms (e.g. in MATLAB/Python) to prove out concepts. Then implement the final high-reliability solution in embedded software or FPGA firmware for flight. Support "hands-on" troubleshooting and iteration during optical alignment sessions and system tests, adjusting control parameters to achieve optimal performance on the hardware
Qualification
Required
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 (PID, state-space, Kalman filters) for high-precision systems
Knowledge of sensor fusion and state estimation (e.g. IMU integration with optical trackers)
Understanding of optical pointing mechanisms – experience with gimbals, fast steering mirrors, precision opto-mechanical actuators or similar hardware
Ability to analyze pointing errors, jitter spectra, and to create pointing error budgets accounting for on-orbit behaviors
Proficiency in programming for algorithm development and real-time implementation
This could include MATLAB/Simulink or Python for modeling, and C/C++ and/or HDL (VHDL/Verilog) for implementing algorithms on real-time processors or FPGAs
Hands-on experience with implementing control algorithms in embedded systems or FPGAs is highly desirable
Experience setting up experiments or test rigs for control systems (motion platforms, optical setups, etc.)
Comfortable with data acquisition and analysis of system performance (using tools like Python, MATLAB)
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex hardware/software systems in a lab or field environment
Preferred
Direct experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control systems or optical payload pointing is a strong plus
Familiarity with how satellite AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control Systems) interacts with a high-precision payload pointing system
Experience working on free-space optical communication pointing/tracking systems or telescopes
For instance, developing PAT for laser communications, optical telescopes for imaging satellites, or line-of-sight stabilization for airborne lasers
Knowledge of atmospheric effects (seeing, turbulence) on beam pointing and strategies to counter them (like adaptive optics or feed-forward) is beneficial
Exposure to adaptive optics systems (deformable mirrors, wavefront sensors) or tip-tilt correction in telescopes can be useful
Experience planning acquisition beacon strategies or working with transponders and retro-reflectors on the ground terminal
Experience with low-latency hardware implementations of control loops – for example, using FPGAs, DSPs, or real-time operating systems to achieve control loop frequencies in the kHz range
Familiarity with FPGA development toolchains (Xilinx or Microsemi) for implementing high-speed tracking algorithms is a plus
Space environment experience is preferred – e.g., designing control systems or sensors that flew on spacecraft or aircraft
Knowledge of radiation effects on sensors/electronics, thermal considerations for sensors in vacuum, and qualification testing (vibe, shock) for flight hardware
Candidates with deep experience in terrestrial optical tracking (e.g., telescope pointing or military targeting systems) will also be considered, especially if they demonstrate understanding of how to adapt such systems for space use
Benefits
Long-term incentives, in the form of stock options
Medical, vision & dental coverage
401(k) retirement plan
Company
Impulse Space
Impulse Space develops in-space transportation technology for payload delivery to various orbits.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$525MKey Investors
Linse CapitalFounders FundRTX Ventures
2025-06-03Series C· $300M
2024-10-01Series B· $150M
2023-07-24Series A· $45M
Leadership Team
Eric Romo
President and Chief Operating Officer
Recent News
Business Insider
2025-12-25
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