Radiation Effects Engineer Intern (Summer 2026)
About The Position
Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA. Radiation Effects Test Engineer Intern (Summer 2026) As our Radiation Effects Intern you will be supporting the modeling and analysis of the space radiation environment as they relate to our missions as well as physical radiation testing of actual spacecraft hardware. You will have direct impact on our space vehicles by simulating radiation effects at a circuit level, modeling the spacecraft to inform mechanical designs, and performing radiation testing at various laboratories across the U.S. Internships at Astranis typically last for twelve weeks, and are hourly roles designed for students enrolled currently pursuing bachelor's degrees from four-year universities. As an Intern, you will have an amazing opportunity to work on hard problems — we pride ourselves on giving everyone at Astranis a chance to do meaningful work on challenging projects, no matter their seniority. Many past interns have designed and tested hardware/software that is heading to space on our first satellite, and many of them are now full-time employees at Astranis.
Requirements
- Currently pursuing a B.S. in an engineering field
- A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development
- Basic proficiency with essential electronics lab equipment, including the use of oscilloscopes, multimeters, and source meter units.
- Understanding and experience modeling physical environments in software
- Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware from scratch
- US Citizenship or Green Card
Nice To Haves
- Familiarity with the space radiation environment
- Experience with radiation transport software (FastRAD, Novice, MCNPX etc.)
- Experience with Altium Designer (or other PCB design software)
- Experience with SPICE-based simulators (LTSpice, PSPICE, ADS, etc)
- Comfortable with soldering and rework
- Familiarity with fundamental electronics concepts and components (integrated circuits, PCBAs, sensors).
Responsibilities
- Help to evaluate fault tolerant electrical systems for operating in a radiation environment
- Assist in creating test plans and documenting test activities and results. Practice efficient issue diagnosis and drafting clear documentation for review by the team.
- Support radiation testing campaigns to up-screen components for TID and SEE.
- Work with the structures team to determine the proper shielding levels across the spacecraft
- Work in a cross-discipline manner across teams to inform their decisions with regards to radiation considerations
- Support test development and early-stage activities, which may include assisting with breadboarding, initial testing, and basic cable harness fabrication as needed.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Intern
