Controls Software Engineer, Pointing & Tracking Verified today

About Cowboy Space

Cowboy Space is building infrastructure for space-based solar energy. We are developing modular, scalable satellites that collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit and transmit energy via infrared lasers to satellites, ground stations, and remote locations. The mission is to enable direct, on-demand, secure energy distribution and data processing from space.

The Role

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: the core of the job is translating control theory into a robust, working real-time implementation.

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 (state estimation, PID, state-space, optimal control) 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

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of 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 (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

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or related field
• Experience with precision pointing, tracking, stabilization, or gimbal control systems (optical terminals, telescopes, seekers, camera stabilization)
• 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 (MATLAB/Simulink, Python-based tooling)
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and system validation
• Familiarity with estimation and sensor fusion techniques (Kalman filters)
• Understanding of fault-tolerant design and high-reliability system architecture
• Experience working in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary: $170,000 - $192,000 annually
• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp
• 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 and fully stocked kitchen

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.