About this opportunity
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP lists this Optical Engineer (Starshield) opportunity in northern, Kentucky. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
OPTICAL ENGINEER (STARSHIELD)
Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.
The SpaceX satellite engineering teams develop, produce, and deploy the most cutting-edge satellite free-space optical communication systems and observation payloads in the world. We are looking for engineers to contribute to the development of laser communications terminals and imaging products for the groundbreaking constellation of Starshield satellites. All SpaceX optical systems (laser communication terminal and other optical products) require a blend of theoretical expertise, practical implementation skills, and a passion for solving complex problems in real-time, resource-constrained systems.
As a Starshield optical engineer, you will be responsible for free-space optical system design, validation, and operation. You will shape the future of laser communication systems and directly contribute to mission-critical applications such as next‑generation star tracking system for precise navigation in space environments.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Apply optics and photonics knowledge to optical system development, including design, analysis, and validation
Represent the optical system in program-level, cross-disciplinary trades and issue resolution
Define requirements for high-performant optical systems in challenging environmental conditions
Lead optical architecture definition through internal trade studies, concept of operations definition, and risk reduction testing
Participate in verification testing, including environmental qualification, performance characterization, reliability testing, and fault injection testing
Define and lead field testing of optical experiments and laser communication systems
Review test data and lead anomaly investigation and resolution
Maintain link budgets, design specifications, and system capabilities data
Interface with manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure final designs can be manufactured in accordance with overall project goals
Collaborate with software and automation teams to develop tools and protocols for automated optical testing
Represent laser communications systems for reliability and risk discussions with internal reliability teams, management, customers, and vendors
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Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.