HITL Test Engineer

Astranis Space Technologies Corp.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible PTO

On‑site meals

Job summary

Astranis Space Technologies Corp. seeks a HITL Test Engineer to design, build, and maintain hardware‑in‑the‑loop testbeds that validate satellites before flight.

You will partner with Flight Software, GN&C, Avionics, Power, Payload, and Mission Ops to ensure testbeds are flight‑representative and reliable. The role covers full testbed lifecycles, from design through procurement, with on‑call rotations and opportunities to grow the team in a fast‑paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in EE, AE, CS or equivalent.
• 2–5+ years hardware integration or test engineering.
• Experience with embedded systems and lab hardware.
• Proficient in Python for test automation.
• Strong debugging and documentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Own the full lifecycle of flatsat and HITL testbed builds, from initial design to hardware procurement and software bring‑up.
• Coordinate harness design with manufacturing for flight‑like hardware.
• Serve on rotating on‑call for testbed health and access for engineers.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware and software failures on testbeds.
• Drive testbed architecture decisions including hardware allocation and risk mitigation.
• Expand simulation capabilities as new satellite blocks come online.
• Develop tooling to improve testbed observability and automated operations.
• Assist in recruiting and hiring teammates.

Skills

Python

Linux

Embedded systems

Hardware integration

Diagnostics

Schematic reading

Version control

Communication

Test automation

On‑call support

Education

Bachelor's degree in EE/AE/CS

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

EGSE

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 U.S. 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.

HITL Test Engineer

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated HITL Test Engineer to join our rapidly‑growing team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HITL) testbeds that serve as the primary proving ground for every satellite we build and fly. You will collaborate with nearly every engineering team—Flight Software, Guidance Navigation & Control, Avionics, Power, Payload, and Mission Ops—to ensure our testbeds are flight‑representative, reliable, and always ready to support testing. If it runs on a satellite, it gets proven on HITL first.

Role

• Own the full lifecycle of flatsat and HITL testbed builds, from initial design and BOM development through hardware procurement and software bring‑up
• Scope and design harnessing needs, coordinating with manufacturing to produce custom harnesses for flight‑like hardware
• Serve on a rotating on‑call point of contact for testbed health, triaging anomalies and managing access for other engineers
• Diagnose and resolve hardware and software failures on the testbed, spanning firmware interfaces, flight software, and physical components
• Drive testbed architecture decisions, including hardware allocation tradeoffs and risk mitigation for testbed contention
• Expand simulation capabilities as new satellite blocks come online, integrating motor emulators and deployment simulators
• Develop tooling to improve testbed observability, monitoring, and automated operations
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly‑growing team

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in EE, AE, CS (or equivalent background knowledge)
• 2‑5+ years of experience in hardware integration, systems bring‑up, or test engineering
• Comfort working across hardware and software, from rack assembly to debugging Python tracebacks
• Experience with embedded systems, EGSE, or laboratory hardware like logic analyzers and oscilloscopes
• 2+ years of experience with Python (or equivalent high‑level scripting language) for test automation
• 1+ years of experience with Linux and shell command line tools
• 1+ years of experience with version control systems (git or equivalent)
• Experience reading schematics and debugging circuits that interface with embedded software
• Strong debugging instincts and a methodical approach to documenting novel failures
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A passion for building things, including working in a fast‑paced environment and hands‑on development

Bonus

• Familiarity with flight software architectures, telemetry systems, or simulation frameworks
• Prior experience with networked lab infrastructure, Kubernetes, or Linux system administration
• Please apply even if you do not meet every single criterion listed above

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis's total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high‑quality company‑subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on‑site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional‑grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary: $150,000—$215,000 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 our products are meant to connect the world and everyone in it, regardless of gender, race, creed, or any other distinction. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we encourage all people to join our team and bring their unique perspective to help make us stronger.