Senior Electrical Engineer, AI Satellites — Onboard Compute

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is developing Starmind, a constellation of satellites capturing solar energy to power AI compute. As Principal Electrical Hardware Engineer, you own the hardware lifecycle for high-performance compute electronics, power systems, and networking designed for the space environment.

You will collaborate across mechanical, thermal, software, and test teams, drive design trades, selection, bring-up, and on-orbit performance, and deliver reliable, testable hardware capable of operating in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline (Electrical/Mechanical/Electrical Hardware)
• Experience with space-grade hardware and high-reliability electronics preferred.
• Strong experience in power, RF, digital/analog mixed-signal design.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly develop high-reliability electronics for satellites and spacecraft.
• Drive system trades, requirements capture, component selection, analysis, schematic capture, PCB layout, prototyping, hardware bring-up, debugging, documentation, manufacturing, test, and on-orbit performance of complex electrical designs.
• Get hands-on and support hardware through production, satellite integration, and flight.
• Determine layer stackup, perform component package selection, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of PCBs.
• Library creation and maintenance.
• Create and release documentation for fabrication of PCBs.
• Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints and design for test and manufacture guidelines.
• Work closely with engineers from adjacent disciplines to deliver tightly integrated, high-performance hardware.
• Challenge assumptions, question requirements, learn from mistakes, and approach problems with an open mind.

Skills

High-reliability electronics

Power electronics

RF design

Mixed-signal design

PCB layout

Space-grade hardware

Hardware bring-up

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

SpaceX is developing Starmind, a constellation of satellites capturing solar energy to power AI compute. As Principal Electrical Hardware Engineer, you own the hardware lifecycle for high-performance compute electronics, power systems, and networking designed for the space environment.

You will collaborate across mechanical, thermal, software, and test teams, drive design trades, selection, bring-up, and on-orbit performance, and deliver reliable, testable hardware capable of operating in