Optical Systems · Optical Systems
Optical Payload Engineer
Design space-qualified optical payloads, terminals, telescopes and detectors for sensing and high-rate laser communications.
Role mandate
Build the capability for the era ahead.
This team member will combine subject-matter depth, sound judgment and disciplined execution to move the mission from architecture to measurable results.
Responsibilities
- Own the Optical Systems workstream for Optical Payload Engineer and deliver measurable technical or operating outcomes.
- Design and analyze optical links, terminals, photonic components and supporting control systems.
- Own performance budgets covering power, loss, pointing, noise, availability and environmental effects.
- Plan verification, qualification and integration from laboratory testing through operational deployment.
Required qualifications
- Engineering experience with lasers, optics, photonics, optical networking or free-space communications.
- Ability to use modeling, test equipment and data analysis to validate performance.
- Strong understanding of hardware interfaces, tolerances and reliability.
Preferred experience
- Experience with space-qualified optical terminals, coherent communications or QKD.
- Familiarity with acquisition, pointing and tracking systems.
Scientific and technical requirements
Physics, mathematics and engineering foundations
- Geometric and Fourier optics, Gaussian-beam propagation, diffraction, polarization, coherence and radiometry.
- Semiconductor laser physics, electro-optic modulation, photodetection, shot noise, thermal noise and atmospheric turbulence.
- Control theory and estimation for pointing, acquisition and tracking under jitter, vibration, Doppler and platform motion.
Mathematics and working equations
- Diffraction-limited divergence θ ≈ 1.22λ/D; Gaussian beam radius w(z) = w0√(1 + (z/zR)²), with zR = πw0²/λ.
- Photon energy E = hc/λ and photon rate Ṅ = Pr/E; connect received optical power to detector sensitivity and BER.
- Free-space optical budget Pr = PtηsysGtGr(λ/4πR)²LpointLatm, with every loss and margin stated in dB.
- Pointing loss for a Gaussian beam depends exponentially on angular error relative to beam divergence; close coarse- and fine-pointing error budgets.
Hardware, flight and infrastructure components
- Space-qualified laser transmitter, seed laser, optical amplifier, modulator, telescope, beam expander and wavelength-control hardware.
- Fast-steering mirror, gimbal/coarse-pointing assembly, beacon camera, quadrant detector or focal-plane array, fine-guidance sensor and inertial isolation.
- APD/PIN or coherent receiver, optical filters, fiber couplers, isolators, circulators, polarization optics, thermal straps and contamination-controlled housings.
Software, laboratory and analysis tools
- Zemax OpticStudio or CODE V; MATLAB/Simulink or Python; FRED/physical-optics modeling; CAD and finite-element jitter/thermal interfaces.
- Optical spectrum analyzer, power meter, beam profiler, interferometer, autocollimator, high-speed oscilloscope and BER tester.
Verification and mission skills
- Measure wavefront error, boresight, divergence, jitter transfer, acquisition probability, tracking error, receiver sensitivity and end-to-end BER.
- Qualify optical alignment across thermal-vacuum, vibration and launch-load environments; control cleanliness and molecular/particulate contamination.
Authoritative technical references
The hiring sequence will follow operating milestones and project requirements. The position may begin through advisory, consulting or project-based work before moving into a full-time role.
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