Rover Control Systems Engineer

Department: Software Engineering

Location: Hawthorne, California

Compensation: $140,000 - $160,000 / year

Description Astrolab is The Lunar Operations Company. We design and build the systems and hardware the lunar economy will come to depend on — rovers, power, and data networks for sustained operations on the Moon. We are focused on the problems that must be solved before the next chapter of human exploration can scale. The Moon does not forgive untested assumptions. The people who work here know that, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Astrolab is seeking a Rover Control Systems Engineer to support development of control systems for extra-terrestrial rovers such as vehicle mobility system control, robotic arm control, and high gain communication antenna pointing control. Control system development will include initial simulation and design of vehicle control systems, control system performance analysis, gain tuning, and supporting software and integrated hardware/software development and testing.

Note: Some travel may be required for this position

What you'll do:

• Work with stakeholders to define control system requirements from vehicle and subsystem level functional and performance requirements
• Support design, analysis, develop, tune, verification, and validation of vehicle control systems
• Build system simulations for controller design, analysis and tuning in appropriate tools (e.g. Matlab, Simulink, Python) and mature simulations as additional test data becomes available
• Design and prototype appropriate controllers that meet the defined requirements using simulations and control system design tools (e.g. Matlab control system toolbox)
• Support sizing and selection of integrated robotic control system components (sensors and actuators) such as motion sensors, cameras, motor encoders, motors, and similar
• Analyze and tune controller performance, stability, and robustness using the system simulations, testbeds, and test data
• Develop control system documentation and work with vehicle software team to convert controller prototypes into flight code, including supporting unit and integrated testing of flight implementations
• Support calibration of integrated hardware/robotic control systems (e.g. robotic arm calibration)

What you'll bring: Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) related field
• 5+ years of robotic control system development
• Experience building, testing, and validating control system simulation and analysis tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience analyzing and tuning performance of robotic control systems
• Experience working with testbeds for testing control systems on flight-like hardware
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink and Matlab control systems toolbox or equivalent control system design and analysis software

Benefits and Perks

• Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
• Equity ownership in the company
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible PTO and parental leave
• Home office set up reimbursement
• Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
• Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks