Precision Controls Engineer: Spacecraft Attitude & Pointing

Cosmic Frontier Labs; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k)

Education benefits

Cell phone and Wi‑Fi reimbursement

One-time work-from-home stipend

Commuter benefits

Wellness programs

Job summary

Cosmic Frontier Labs in San Francisco is seeking a controls engineer to design and validate feedback loops for our space telescope hardware. You will build simulations and hardware-in-the-loop tests to prove performance before flight.

You’ll work with avionics and software teams to tune controllers, implement Kalman filters, and demonstrate end-to-end pointing stability in a fast-paced startup setting. This role offers exposure to high-precision hardware, rigorous testing, and direct impact on

Qualifications

• Strong foundation in feedback control theory, state estimation, and system dynamics.
• Experience building and using simulation environments to model closed‑loop performance, including integration with real hardware or hardware-in-the-loop systems.
• Proven ability to integrate, tune, and validate control systems on physical hardware in collaboration with avionics and software teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop control laws and estimation filters for attitude control, fine pointing, and focus or wavefront control where needed.
• Build and maintain the simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments that prove control performance before flight.
• Collaborate with avionics and software teams to integrate, tune, and validate control loops on hardware.

Skills

Control systems

State estimation

Simulation & HIL

Hardware integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering

Tools

Simulink

Python

Job description

Cosmic Frontier Labs in San Francisco is seeking a controls engineer to design and validate feedback loops for our space telescope hardware. You will build simulations and hardware-in-the-loop tests to prove performance before flight.

You’ll work with avionics and software teams to tune controllers, implement Kalman filters, and demonstrate end-to-end pointing stability in a fast-paced startup setting. This role offers exposure to high-precision hardware, rigorous testing, and direct impact on