Jobs at Cowboy Space Corporation

Electrical engineering intern supporting the design, simulation, testing, and integration of RF, optical, electrical, spacecraft, and avionics systems. Responsibilities may include PCB layout, firmware and software development, thermal and mechanical modeling, propulsion and structural analysis, hardware troubleshooting, data analysis, CAD modeling, and technical documentation. The role requires hands-on laboratory work, test equipment use, collaboration, and strong math, physics, or engineering fundamentals.

Own end-to-end sourcing, purchase orders, supplier negotiations, vendor management, and procurement workflows for mission-critical hardware programs. Analyze supplier performance, spend, and delivery metrics using data tools; drive cost reductions, process improvements, and procurement automation. Partner with engineering, finance, and operations to support hardware development and production while ensuring compliant purchasing packages and reliable material availability.

Designs and owns spacecraft mechanical hardware from concept through production and flight. Responsibilities include developing structures, mechanisms, thermal systems, drawings, and engineering documentation; performing FEA, thermal, and tolerance analyses; prototyping and testing; supporting integration and launch readiness; troubleshooting hardware; and collaborating with suppliers, manufacturers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Leads an embedded software team developing flight-critical, real-time software for satellite control, power beaming, communications, and ground receiver systems. Responsibilities include team mentorship, firmware release planning, fault-tolerant architecture, embedded development, hardware integration, and SITL/HITL validation. The role establishes engineering standards, conducts architecture and code reviews, and ensures reliable software across spacecraft avionics and laser power transmission systems.

Lead mechanical design of spacecraft components from concept through flight-ready production. Design structures, mechanisms, and thermal solutions; perform FEA and thermal analysis; prototype, test, and validate hardware; support integration, environmental testing, and launch readiness; troubleshoot failures and work with suppliers to scale production.

Design, develop, and maintain platform firmware, BMC/OpenBMC management stacks, and FPGA/CPLD logic for board bring-up and system management. Own low-level boot sequencing, debug CPU/GPU/PCIe/hardware interactions, implement Redfish/IPMI interfaces, and build fault recovery, secure boot, and autonomous reboot systems for orbital deployments.

Manage high-volume accounts payable including two- and three-way matching, invoice investigation and resolution, vendor master maintenance, payment runs (ACH/wire/check), expense reimbursements, month-end/year-end AP reconciliations, 1099 and tax filings, audit recordkeeping, vendor communication, and process improvement to strengthen internal controls.

Design and implement complex multilayer PCBs for spacecraft avionics, power, RF, and compute systems. Translate schematics into manufacturable layouts, define stackups and routing, perform SI/PI and impedance analysis, ensure thermal and mechanical integration, produce fabrication and assembly documentation, and drive DFM/DFA/DFT and PCB standards while supporting fabrication, testing, and supplier partnerships.

Lead end-to-end development of precision gimbal mechanisms for laser communications payloads, including design, analysis, procurement, integration, and qualification. Define performance requirements, perform mechanism-level analysis, manage suppliers, develop test and qualification plans, and collaborate with optics, controls, and systems teams to deliver flight-qualified hardware.

Design, develop, and validate board-level RF hardware for free-space optical communications up to 50 Gbps. Own RF driver/receiver circuitry, high-speed RF/analog PCB layout, signal integrity analysis, simulation and lab characterization. Collaborate with optics, mechanical, firmware, and systems teams to integrate and flight-qualify RF/optical subsystems and support testing, troubleshooting, and documentation.

Design, develop, integrate, and qualify spacecraft battery systems from concept through flight. Responsibilities include pack/module architecture, BMS development (SOC/SOH, cell balancing, protections), cell chemistry selection, sizing and degradation modeling, thermal and safety strategies, environmental qualification and testing, manufacturing support, and on-orbit performance monitoring and failure investigation.

Lead the mechanical architecture and delivery of space-based compute hardware including chassis, PCB retention, connectors, and thermal management. Perform packaging, mass, and thermal trade studies; drive structural and thermal analyses; develop drawings, GD&T, and ICDs; define and execute environmental qualification and integration/test plans; and lead and mentor a team while collaborating with electrical, thermal, and spacecraft teams to produce flight-ready hardware.

Design, build, and qualify high-power fiber laser and amplifier systems and fiber-optic subsystems for space applications. Characterize lasers (linewidth, phase noise, RIN), model nonlinear effects, perform fiber splicing and assembly, design coherent receivers, and execute optical test plans and documentation for space qualification.

Lead design of high-voltage, high-power DC/DC conversion and distribution systems for terrestrial and orbital GPU compute. Architect multi-stage power conversion, custom magnetic components, PCB layouts, power integrity and thermal solutions, validate prototypes to production, and mentor the power systems team while coordinating with mechanical, thermal, and systems engineers.

Design, implement, and verify FPGA/RTL for compute payloads: sensor interfaces, deterministic pixel capture, high-throughput DDR/DMA datapaths, and AXI register interfaces to embedded Linux. Drive synthesis, timing closure across Zynq/Versal/Cyclone targets, testbench-based verification and lab bring-up. Support Petalinux, driver integration, platform firmware/BMC bring-up, board integration, anomaly investigation, and CI/regression for FPGA workflows.

Design, build, and maintain spacecraft and ground software including flight software, simulations, mission control, and test tooling. Integrate and debug hardware-software systems, support on-orbit operations, and contribute to system architecture and launch preparation.

Design, develop, and test high-reliability, low-latency flight and mission software across embedded and ground systems. Implement C&DH, FDIR, secure communications, simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing, maintain documentation, and support CI/CD and cross-team integration for satellite operations.

Lead end-to-end system integration and validation of electro-mechanical and avionics hardware. Design and build test infrastructure, develop automated and manual procedures, run environmental and functional tests, debug electrical systems, perform failure analysis, support flight qualification and launch readiness, and collaborate with hardware, firmware, and software teams to improve test coverage and reliability.

Design and integrate RF and hybrid RF/optical communication subsystems for space/airborne platforms. Develop SDR-based pipelines, high-speed free-space optical links, PCBA hardware, and test infrastructure. Perform system trade studies, validate end-to-end performance under real-world conditions, and collaborate with avionics, firmware, and compute teams for flight integration.

Design, build, and test software for spacecraft and ground systems across the full stack. Develop flight and real-time control software, simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing frameworks, integrate with hardware teams, support system bring-up and on-orbit operations, and create tooling for automation and mission operations in resource-constrained, high-reliability environments.