Space Optics Engineer — High-Power Satellite Payloads

K2 Space Corporation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

K2 Space Corporation is building the largest and highest-power satellites, aiming to scale to 100 satellites per year. We seek an Optical Engineer to contribute to a payload portfolio spanning lasers, telescopes, and focal-plane instrumentation.

You will work with senior engineers across the full lifecycle from analysis to on-orbit operation. The role offers significant opportunity in a fast-growing, Series D-funded company with substantial contracts and a path toward space-scale production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in optical engineering, physics, applied physics, electrical, mechanical, aerospace engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 1+ years of relevant experience.
• Working knowledge of geometrical and physical optics and familiarity with common free-space optical, fiber-optic, and optomechanical components.

Responsibilities

• Own well-bounded technical deliverables from problem definition through validated results (e.g., a custom optical component or fixture, a data visualization or analysis, a test campaign, a manufacturing process).
• Build, align, calibrate, automate, and maintain custom free-space and fiber-optic test systems.
• Plan and execute experiments that characterize optical components and assemblies and quantify performance impact.
• Develop optical models, budgets, tolerance analyses, and data-processing tools; correlate with test results.
• Design, specify, procure, and validate custom optics, optomechanical components, calibration hardware, fixtures, and test equipment.
• Develop and qualify repeatable optical fabrication and assembly processes for high-volume production.
• Support environmental qualification, reliability testing, payload integration, flight-readiness, and on-orbit commissioning.
• Communicate technical work through design reviews, test plans/reports, drawings, specifications, procedures, and configuration data.

Skills

Geometrical optics

Physical optics

Free-space optics

Fiber-optic components

Optomechanics

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

Technical communication

Independent problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

OpticStudio

CODE V

FRED

LightTools

Lumerical

CAD

Job description

K2 Space Corporation is building the largest and highest-power satellites, aiming to scale to 100 satellites per year. We seek an Optical Engineer to contribute to a payload portfolio spanning lasers, telescopes, and focal-plane instrumentation.

You will work with senior engineers across the full lifecycle from analysis to on-orbit operation. The role offers significant opportunity in a fast-growing, Series D-funded company with substantial contracts and a path toward space-scale production.