Radiation Effects Engineer Intern (Winter 2027)

XYZ Venture Capital; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 45,000; Part time

Job summary

Astranis invites undergrad engineers to join our Radiation Effects Intern program for Winter 2027. You’ll support modeling, electrical testing, and hardware characterization in radiation environments across U.S. facilities, contributing to space-qualified test plans and documentation.

The twelve-week internship emphasizes hands-on lab work, teamwork, and real impact on satellites destined for space missions. Candidates are pursuing a B.S.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related engineering field.
• Hands-on hardware development and troubleshooting in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with electronics lab equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, source meters).
• Familiarity with schematic capture or PCB design tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and electrically test fault-tolerant electrical systems in a radiation environment.
• Assist in creating electrical test plans and documenting test activities and results.
• Support radiation testing campaigns for TID and SEE, focusing on parametric characterization.
• Collaborate across teams to inform radiation considerations in designs.
• Support test development, breadboarding, automated test setup, and basic harness fabrication.

Skills

Hands-on hardware development

Problem solving in fast-paced env

Documentation and test records

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Radiation Effects Test Engineer Intern (Winter 2027)

As our Radiation Effects Intern, you will be supporting the modeling, analysis, and rigorous electrical testing of actual spacecraft hardware within the space radiation environment. You will have a direct impact on our space vehicles by characterizing electrical component degradation and executing hardware testing at various laboratories across the U.S.

Internships at Astranis typically last for twelve weeks, and are hourly roles designed for students currently pursuing bachelor's degrees from four-year universities. As an Intern, you will have an amazing opportunity to work on hard problems — we pride ourselves on giving everyone at Astranis a chance to do meaningful work on challenging projects, no matter their seniority. Many past interns have designed and tested hardware/software that is heading to space on our first satellite, and many of them are now full-time employees at Astranis.

Role

• Evaluate and electrically test fault-tolerant electrical systems operating in a radiation environment
• Assist in creating electrical test plans, developing test fixtures, and documenting test activities and results. Practice efficient issue diagnosis and draft clear documentation for review by the team
• Support radiation testing campaigns to up-screen components for TID and SEE, focusing on electrical parametric characterization before, during, and after exposure
• Work in a cross-discipline manner across teams to inform their decisions with regards to radiation considerations
• Support test development and early-stage activities, which include breadboarding electrical circuits, automated test setup verification, and basic cable harness fabrication

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering field
• A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on electrical testing and troubleshooting
• Strong proficiency with essential electronics lab equipment, including the standard use of oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and source meter units
• Experience with Altium Designer (or other PCB design software) for schematic capture and board layout
• Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and rigorously test electrical hardware from scratch
• Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria

Bonus

• Familiarity with the space radiation environment and effects on semiconductor devices
• Experience with SPICE-based simulators (LTSpice, PSPICE, ADS, etc.) to simulate circuit behavior and faults
• Comfortable with soldering, rework, and building specialized test harnesses
• Familiarity with fundamental electronics concepts and components (integrated circuits, PCBAs, sensors) and how to benchmark their performance
• Experience with radiation transport software (FastRAD, Novice, MCNPX, etc.)

The base pay for this position is $29.00 per hour.

Base Hourly Pay

$29 — $29 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.