Optical Engineer - Pointing, Acquisition & Tracking (PAT) Optics

Star Catcher; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Star Catcher in Jacksonville, FL is hiring an Optical Engineer for Pointing, Acquisition & Tracking (PAT) Optics to support space-to-space power beaming and the Star Catcher Network.

You will design the PAT optical architecture, develop LOS pointing and jitter budgets, and co-own interfaces with EE control engineers, while shaping calibration, boresight maintenance, and on-orbit alignment plans. A Bachelor's degree and 3+ years in pointing/tracking are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of professional experience in pointing and tracking, beam control, or free-space laser systems; candidates with more experience are preferred.
• Hands-on experience with FSMs, quadrant detectors or position-sensing detectors, and focal-plane tracking sensors.

Responsibilities

• Design the optical architecture of the pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) system, including fast steering mirrors (FSMs), tracking sensors, beam splitters, boresight paths, and calibration sources.
• Develop line-of-sight pointing and jitter budgets and track budget closure through test.
• Design tracking-sensor optics for acquisition and fine tracking, including return-based tracking of non-cooperative targets.
• Define transmit/receive boresight alignment, calibration, and on-orbit maintenance approaches.
• Specify and select FSMs and coarse-pointing optics; define pupil conjugation and optical gain.
• Model tracking-sensor response and work with controls engineers on loop design and sensor requirements.
• Own the optical side of the closed PAT loops and calibrate loop gain; support loop closure on testbeds.
• Plan and run PAT optical testing, including closed-loop tracking testbeds and boresight verification.

Job description

Optical Engineer - Pointing, Acquisition & Tracking (PAT) Optics

Power the future of Space at Star Catcher

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy.

Today’s spacecraft must generate all of their own power, which caps what they can do and how long they can operate. But what if they could “plug” into a grid, the way buildings do on Earth? Instead of cables and outlets, Star Catcher is building the technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft’s existing solar panels when and where they need it.
Be an early member of a team building an entirely new energy infrastructure at scale to power the next frontier.

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opportunity for an Optical Engineer - Pointing, Acquisition & Tracking (PAT) Optics to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid.

Key Responsibilities

• Design the optical architecture of the pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) system, including fast steering mirrors (FSMs), tracking sensors (quadrant detectors and focal-plane arrays), beam splitters, boresight paths, and calibration sources; co-own PAT interfaces with the EE Senior Controls (PAT) engineer, who owns control algorithms and electronics.
• Develop line-of-sight (LOS) pointing and jitter budgets; allocate them to optical, mechanical, sensor, and control contributors; and track budget closure through test.
• Design tracking-sensor optics for acquisition and fine tracking, including return-based tracking of non-cooperative targets with unknown surface reflectance and orientation.
• Define transmit/receive boresight alignment, calibration, and on-orbit boresight maintenance approaches, including point-ahead where applicable.
• Specify and select FSMs and coarse-pointing optics; define pupil conjugation, angular range, and optical gain through the beam expander.
• Model tracking-sensor response (spot size, linear range, sensitivity, noise-equivalent angle) and work with controls engineers on loop design and sensor requirements.
• Own the optical side of the closed PAT loops: measure and calibrate optical loop gain (tracking-sensor slope, FSM-to-sensor gain, axis cross-coupling), and support loop closure on testbeds and integrated hardware.
• Plan and run PAT optical testing, including closed-loop tracking testbeds, disturbance and jitter injection, and boresight verification.

Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 3+ years of professional experience in pointing and tracking, beam control, or free-space laser systems; candidates with more experience are preferred.

Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of PAT for free-space laser systems (laser communications, directed energy, power beaming, or lidar), including acquisition, coarse and fine pointing, and tracking.
• Hands-on experience with FSMs, quadrant detectors or position-sensing detectors, and focal-plane tracking sensors.
• Ability to build LOS pointing and jitter budgets including noise-equivalent angle, residual jitter, boresight drift, and calibration error.
• Proficiency with Zemax OpticStudio or CODE V and with Python or MATLAB modeling.
• Working knowledge of control concepts (bandwidth, disturbance rejection, sensor noise) sufficient to partner effectively with controls engineers.
• Lab experience building and testing closed-loop tracking systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Space Lasercom or Beam Control: Flight or flight-like optical terminals or beam-control systems.
• Non-Cooperative Tracking: Tracking targets by reflected or scattered return rather than a beacon.
• Boresight and Point-Ahead: Calibration of transmit/receive co-alignment over temperature and on orbit.
• Integrated Modeling: Structural-dynamics-to-LOS jitter modeling.
• Advanced Degrees: Master's degree or Ph.D. in Optical Sciences, Physics, or Electrical Engineering.

Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits.

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.