Principal Control Systems Engineer, PAT Systems

BLUE ORIGIN; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Travel up to 25%

Job summary

Blue Origin in Seattle is seeking a Principal Control Systems Engineer to own the PAT control strategy for the TeraWave program, spanning satellite payloads and ground stations.

You will lead a team of controls engineers, collaborate with optical, mechanical, thermal, avionics, and systems teams, and drive high-bandwidth tracking and rapid link acquisition.

Qualifications

• M.S. in Electrical, Aerospace, Mechanical, Physics, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in control systems design for precision electro-optical or opto-mechanical systems.
• 5+ years in a lead engineering role with ownership of complex subsystems.
• Experience with real time control implementation on embedded platforms using C, C++, FPGA/SoC, or RTOS.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and/or C/C++ for control design, simulation, and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own the end to end PAT control architecture for TeraWave optical inter satellite and space to ground terminals.
• Define control requirements, error budgets, and key performance metrics, including pointing accuracy and acquisition time.
• Lead trade studies evaluating pointing mechanisms, sensors, and control topologies for terminal designs.
• Design and validate control loops for fine beam steering, coarse pointing, and beacon acquisition.
• Develop acquisition strategies, including scan patterns, dwell time optimization, and satellite to ground handover procedures.
• Implement control algorithms in flight software, FPGA and SoC platforms, and MATLAB or Simulink simulation environments.
• Integrate PAT control with spacecraft ADCS, avionics, timing systems, and the network control plane.
• Build and maintain dynamic models of PAT subsystems, covering mechanisms, actuators, sensors, and structural modes.
• Lead PAT test campaigns and on-orbit commissioning, including anomaly investigation and performance optimization.
• Collaborate across disciplines with optical, mechanical, thermal, structural, and avionics engineers.

Skills

Control systems

Embedded RTOS

Team leadership

Sensor fusion

MATLAB/Simulink

C/C++

Python

FPGA/SoC

Space optics

Multi-body dynamics

Education

MS in Electrical Engineering

MS in Aerospace Engineering

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

C/C++

FPGA

RTOS

Job description

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!

Blue Origin is pioneering the future of space-based communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide.

The Role

As Principal Control Systems Engineer for the Pointing, Acquisition and Tracking system, you will serve as the technical authority for the control architecture, algorithms, and implementation of pointing, acquisition, and tracking for TeraWave optical terminals, spanning both satellite payloads and ground stations. You will own the PAT control strategy from concept through flight operations, driving high bandwidth tracking, rapid link acquisition, and integration across optics, mechanisms, avionics, and network operations. This is a hands on technical leadership role with direct impact on link availability, data throughput, and overall system performance for a constellation that customers depend on for data center interconnects. You will lead a focused team of controls engineers while working in close partnership with optical, mechanical, thermal, avionics, and systems engineering disciplines.

Special Mentions

• Relocation assistance is provided for this role.
• This role requires up to 25 percent travel.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Own the end to end PAT control architecture for TeraWave optical inter satellite and space to ground terminals.
• Define control requirements, error budgets, and key performance metrics, including pointing accuracy and acquisition time.
• Lead trade studies evaluating pointing mechanisms, sensors, and control topologies for terminal designs.
• Design and validate control loops for fine beam steering, coarse pointing, and beacon acquisition.
• Develop acquisition strategies, including scan patterns, dwell time optimization, and satellite to ground handover procedures.
• Implement control algorithms in flight software, FPGA and SoC platforms, and MATLAB or Simulink simulation environments.
• Integrate PAT control with spacecraft ADCS, avionics, timing systems, and the network control plane.
• Build and maintain dynamic models of PAT subsystems, covering mechanisms, actuators, sensors, and structural modes.
• Lead PAT test campaigns and on-orbit commissioning, including anomaly investigation and performance optimization.
• Collaborate across disciplines with optical, mechanical, thermal, structural, and avionics engineers.

Minimum Qualifications

• M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• 12 or more years of experience in control systems design for precision electro-optical or opto-mechanical systems.
• 5 or more years of experience in a lead engineering role with ownership of complex subsystems.
• Expertise in classical and modern control theory, including state space, LQR/LQG, H infinity, and robust or adaptive control.
• Experience with real time control implementation on embedded platforms using C, C++, FPGA/SoC, or RTOS.
• Experience with high fidelity modeling and simulation of multi body dynamics and optical pointing systems.
• Experience with pointing and tracking systems for laser communications, telescopes, or comparable high precision applications.
• Experience with sensor fusion using optical trackers, IMUs, or encoders, and multi-rate control loop design.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and/or C/C++ for control design, simulation, and data analysis.

Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Experience with space qualified hardware and processes, including design for thermal vacuum, vibration, and radiation environments.
• Background in free space optical communications or satellite communications, including link budgets and atmospheric turbulence modeling.
• Experience with adaptive optics or tip