Spacecraft Control Systems Engineer

Samara Aerospace; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the startup

Comprehensive healthcare

Unlimited PTO

Education assistance

Job summary

Samara Aerospace, based in San Francisco, is seeking a Controls System Engineer to support the development of innovative satellite systems. This role involves contributing to the next-generation attitude control system, working closely with experts in the field. Candidates should have a strong foundation in control systems and a collaborative mindset.

Join a passionate team and help reshape the satellite industry through advanced technology and cutting-edge simulation work.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience building control systems.
• Experience designing feedback control for flexible, lightly damped, or resonant plants.
• Strong research mindset: learning is progress, data gathering is key.

Responsibilities

• Develop high fidelity simulations of spacecraft dynamics.
• Run Monte Carlo simulations for stability verification.
• Design control for multi-joint actuator systems.

Skills

Control system design

Feedback control

Sensor fusion

Scientific computing in Python/Matlab

Tools

MuJoCo

Embedded C

C++

Job description

Samara Aerospace is revolutionizing satellite design by addressing the challenges of deploying and managing large satellite constellations. Our innovative Hummingbird spacecraft bus offers a modular and scalable platform that streamlines satellite production and deployment, significantly reducing launch costs. Hummingbird's compact architecture maximizes launch capacity, making it the most efficient and agile spacecraft in the industry. At the core of our technology is the patented Multifunctional Structures for Attitude Control (MSAC) system. Unlike traditional wheel-based pointing control systems, MSAC utilizes actuators embedded in the hinges of deployable solar panels to provide 3‑axis attitude control and active jitter cancellation. This design eliminates the need for spinning wheels, reducing mass and potential points of failure, while enhancing pointing precision.

Role

The Engineering team at Samara is looking for a Controls System Engineer to join us in building a next‑generation attitude control system for satellites. We are looking for someone who is curious, kind, and has high standards. This person will help develop the control that operates our first flight vehicle: Hummingbird. This role will work closely with the CTO (who invented MSAC) and the embedded GNC engineer to characterize, simulate, and iterate on a novel spacecraft attitude control and noise cancellation system. Expect to go deep, collectively be wrong often, iterate, learn a lot, and to work alongside a team who is passionate about building something truly new.

If you have a background in satellite attitude control, reaction wheel or control moment gyro design, multi‑joint robotic trajectories, or audio control/noise cancellation, please apply! If you do not meet all of the below criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are more interested in folks who are collaborative with high standards, a learning mindset, and most of the skills than in a perfect technology match.

Responsibilities

• Dynamics/Kinematics Simulation
• Develop a high fidelity simulation of the spacecraft plant in MuJoCo
• Iterate on spacecraft simulator as ground testbed and flight model evolve
• Employ strong fundamentals in momentum and energy conservation laws to ensure physics are not violated
• Run Monte Carlo simulations to verify pointing and stability across dispersed initial conditions, plant parameters, and disturbances
• Perform system identification and develop algorithms to automate the process on‑orbit
• Design feed‑forward/back control for a synchronized multi‑joint actuator system to perform momentum control, taking into account structural resonance for a vibrating actuator system
• Design Active Noise Cancellation loops for platform jitter suppression, ensuring that it can coexist with momentum control

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience building control systems
• Experience designing feedback control for flexible, lightly damped, or resonant plants
• Experience with state estimation and sensor fusion (e.g. Kalman filtering)
• Strong experience with scientific computing in Python/Matlab/etc.
• Strong research mindset: learning is progress, data gathering is key

Preferred

• Experience working with MuJoCo
• Experience with embedded C or C++
• Experience with Active Noise Cancellation in audio
• Spacecraft attitude dynamics (attitude representations, momentum management)
• Hands‑on experience with system identification from measured data

Why Join Us

• Be a key player in a groundbreaking aerospace startup
• Work on exciting projects with the potential to revolutionize the satellite industry
• Collaborate with a passionate and driven team
• Opportunity to grow with the company and shape its future

Salary and Benefits

• Pay range: $135,000–175,000 annually to start
• Early and competitive equity in a rapidly growing startup
• Platinum‑level, zero‑deductible healthcare covered 100% for you
• Vision, dental, and life insurance covered 100% for you
• 401k matching at 4% (no vesting)
• Unlimited PTO and sick time
• Catered lunch 3× per week
• Education assistance up to $5,250 per year
• Relocation assistance is available
• 17 paid holidays (including a “winter break” Dec. 24‑Jan. 1)