Controls Software Engineer, Pointing & Tracking
About The Position
Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport. Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases. As a Controls Software Engineer on the Pointing & Tracking team, you will own the software control loop that keeps a laser precisely pointed between two moving platforms, both satellite-to-ground and satellite-to-satellite. You will use closed-loop feedback from onboard sensors to drive fine-pointing actuators in an embedded real-time environment. This is control-systems software, not general application development: the core of the job is translating control theory into a robust, working real-time implementation and taking dedicated ownership of a system that is central to our mission.
Requirements
- 3+ years of experience (or equivalent practical experience) in control systems, GNC, robotics, or embedded software development
- Hands-on experience designing, implementing, and tuning closed-loop control systems
- Strong understanding of control theory fundamentals
- Strong programming skills in a systems language (e.g., Rust, C, or C++) with willingness to work in Rust
- Experience implementing control algorithms in a real-time or embedded context
- Experience integrating software with sensors and actuators, including debugging across the hardware/software boundary
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor's or advanced degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field
- Experience with precision pointing, tracking, stabilization, or gimbal control systems (e.g., optical terminals, telescopes, seekers, camera stabilization, or similar)
- Experience with spacecraft GNC, attitude control, or other high-reliability control applications in aerospace, defense, or robotics
- Professional experience writing Rust
- Experience with control system modeling, simulation, and analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink, Python-based tooling)
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and system validation
- Familiarity with estimation and sensor fusion techniques (e.g., Kalman filters)
- Understanding of fault-tolerant design and high-reliability system architecture
- Experience working in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles
Responsibilities
- Own the pointing and tracking control loop from design through on-orbit operations
- Design, implement, and tune closed-loop controllers that keep optical links precisely pointed between moving platforms
- Translate control theory (e.g., state estimation, PID, state-space, optimal control methods) into real-time embedded software in Rust
- Perform stability analysis, closed-loop tuning, and performance characterization of control algorithms
- Build simulation and analysis tools to model, validate, and iterate on control system behavior
- Support hardware integration and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing of the full sensing-to-actuation chain
- Develop automated test frameworks to validate control performance across operating conditions
- Collaborate with GNC, optics, avionics, and firmware teams to define interfaces and system-level pointing architecture
- Investigate on-orbit and test anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and drive fixes across software and hardware boundaries
- Develop fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement savings plan
- Paid time off
- 10 paid holidays per calendar year
- Paid parental leave
- Relocation assistance if applicable
- Daily lunch in the office
- Fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks
- Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
