2027 Spring Optical Engineering Internship

Ephemeris Net•Oakland, CA

3d•$70,400•Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for engineering interns to work directly on our two core products: optical terminals for space-based laser communications and the networking service that connects satellites into a space network. By the end of this internship, you will have worked on something that either goes to space (if working on hardware or embedded firmware/software) or pushes forward the technical capability of our internal network and node simulation. Your specific project will depend on your background and where Ephemeris Net's needs are sharpest when you start. We will match you to a project that is both meaningful to the company and a strong learning opportunity for you.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to build things: personal projects, research, coursework, or prior internships where you wrote code, designed hardware, or ran experiments that produced tangible results
Strong fundamentals in at least one of: embedded systems and FPGA development, software engineering (C, C++, Python, or Rust), optical or mechanical design, electrical engineering, information theory, or networking and simulation
Ability to work on-site in El Segundo, CA or Oakland, CA for a minimum of 3 months, 3 days a week
Must be a US person (15 CFR § 772.1)

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with FPGA development (Verilog, VHDL, or SystemVerilog)
Familiarity with optical systems, laser communications, or free-space optics
Experience with network simulation tools or protocol design
Exposure to space systems engineering, orbital mechanics, or flight software
Experience with CAD tools (SolidWorks, NX) or PCB design (Altium, KiCad)

Responsibilities

Design and implement optical transceiver FPGA firmware
Build a space network simulator
Design and fabricate test fixtures or mechanical subsystems for optical terminal prototypes or their test fixtures
Build high speed optoelectronic communication test equipment
Write embedded flight software
Scope your project, execute, and present your results to the team at the end of the internship.