Rendezvous Robotics
Denver, Colorado
Job Description Job Description Golden, CO (Denver Metro) On-Site Full-Time About Rendezvous Robotics Today, everything we send to space is constrained by what fits inside a rocket fairing. That's a fundamental bottleneck to building more capable spacecraft. Rendezvous Robotics is solving this problem with electromagnetic self-assembling tiles that enable spacecraft that are bigger and more powerful than anything that can be folded to fit into a rocket. We're a small team based in Golden, Colorado, executing on a clear path from flight demonstration to our first operational systems. Our work spans hardware, software, and systems engineering, and we're always looking for people who want to build things that matter. The Role We are looking for a Mid to Senior Level Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to own the design, analysis, and testing of satellite launch restraint and release systems, tile deployment from the stowed stack, and the load path from that stack into the bus, taking flight hardware from concept through qualification, production, and on-orbit operation. You will own preloaded joint design, release device selection and integration, deployment and separation behavior, the interface to the launch vehicle separation system, and the structural analysis that supports them. You will partner with systems, electrical, avionics, software, manufacturing, test, and outside suppliers. This is a full-time, on-site role in Golden, Colorado, in the Denver metro area. Responsibilities Own launch restraint and release system design, including hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs), preload paths, hard point design, and preload retention through the launch environment. Select and integrate vendor-qualified non-explosive actuators (NEAs) and release devices, and qualify them as installed. Design deployment and release mechanisms, including kinematics, energy management, and end of travel behavior. Own tile deployment from the stowed stack, including separation energy. Own the load path from the stowed tile stack and its deployment mechanisms into bus primary structure. Characterize shock environments generated by release devices, including levels at mounted electronics. Perform structural analysis of stowed and deployed configurations, including modal, quasi-static, and random vibration. Develop torque and force margin analysis to a recognized standard. Develop test plans and support deployment, vibration, shock, and thermal vacuum (TVAC) test campaigns, including gravity offload and instrumentation. Engage suppliers, support fabrication processes, and produce and check detailed drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T). Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field; advanced degree is a plus. 4+ years of spacecraft or satellite mechanism design experience. Demonstrated experience designing spaceflight hardware that has flown, including at least one deployment, launch restraint, or release mechanism. Preloaded joint design experience, including torque and preload relationships, preload retention, and margin against a recognized standard such as NASA-STD-5020. Hands-on deployment, vibration, and shock testing experience. Proficiency with structural finite element analysis (FEA) for modal, quasi-static, and random vibration analysis of stowed and deployed configurations. Experience modeling complex and preloaded joints. Working knowledge of launch and on-orbit load environments, factors of safety, and margin of safety reporting. Strong command of 3D CAD, detailed drawings, tolerance stack-ups, and GD&T (ASME Y14.5). Solid understanding of spaceflight materials, hardware, fabrication techniques, and design for manufacturability. Strong ability to communicate across engineering disciplines to make program-critical decisions. Preferred Qualifications Experience delivering separation systems, deployables, release mechanisms, precision mechanisms, or other moving mechanical assemblies to flight. Experience owning spacecraft primary structure at the bus level, including launch vehicle interface hardware and rideshare accommodation. Experience with stacked or multi-body stowed configurations. Experience designing preloaded joints into sandwich panel structure, including potted inserts, hard points, and compression tubes. Experience with bonded joint design and analysis. Experience characterizing NEA-induced shock, including shock response spectrum analysis. Experience applying torque and force margin methodology per NASA-STD-5017, NASA-STD-5020, or equivalents. Experience designing gravity offload rigs. Familiarity with vacuum tribology, including lubricants, dry film coatings, galling, and cold welding. Familiarity with vibration test notching and force limiting. Familiarity with NASA verification standards, including the General Environmental Verification Standard (GEVS), and/or SMC-S-016. Proficiency with Onshape (SolidWorks, NX, or Creo also valued). Proficiency with industry-standard FEA tools (e.g., Nastran/Femap, ANSYS, Abaqus). Proficiency with Python or MATLAB for analysis and data processing. Hands-on R&D background, including prototyping, testing, and iterating on novel mechanical concepts. Experience in a startup or fast-iteration hardware environment. Compensation and Benefits Engineer: $110,000 to $140,000 Senior Engineer: $140,000 to $170,000 Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. In addition to the base salary, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options. You will receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and paid parental leave. You may also receive 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you 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. Equal Opportunity Rendezvous Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment is based on merit, competence, and qualifications, and will not be influenced by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.
Job Description Job Description Golden, CO (Denver Metro) On-Site Full-Time About Rendezvous Robotics Today, everything we send to space is constrained by what fits inside a rocket fairing. That's a fundamental bottleneck to building more capable spacecraft. Rendezvous Robotics is solving this problem with electromagnetic self-assembling tiles that enable spacecraft that are bigger and more powerful than anything that can be folded to fit into a rocket. We're a small team based in Golden, Colorado, executing on a clear path from flight demonstration to our first operational systems. Our work spans hardware, software, and systems engineering, and we're always looking for people who want to build things that matter. The Role We are looking for a Mid to Senior Level Spacecraft Mechanisms Engineer to own the design, analysis, and testing of satellite launch restraint and release systems, tile deployment from the stowed stack, and the load path from that stack into the bus, taking flight hardware from concept through qualification, production, and on-orbit operation. You will own preloaded joint design, release device selection and integration, deployment and separation behavior, the interface to the launch vehicle separation system, and the structural analysis that supports them. You will partner with systems, electrical, avionics, software, manufacturing, test, and outside suppliers. This is a full-time, on-site role in Golden, Colorado, in the Denver metro area. Responsibilities Own launch restraint and release system design, including hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs), preload paths, hard point design, and preload retention through the launch environment. Select and integrate vendor-qualified non-explosive actuators (NEAs) and release devices, and qualify them as installed. Design deployment and release mechanisms, including kinematics, energy management, and end of travel behavior. Own tile deployment from the stowed stack, including separation energy. Own the load path from the stowed tile stack and its deployment mechanisms into bus primary structure. Characterize shock environments generated by release devices, including levels at mounted electronics. Perform structural analysis of stowed and deployed configurations, including modal, quasi-static, and random vibration. Develop torque and force margin analysis to a recognized standard. Develop test plans and support deployment, vibration, shock, and thermal vacuum (TVAC) test campaigns, including gravity offload and instrumentation. Engage suppliers, support fabrication processes, and produce and check detailed drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T). Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field; advanced degree is a plus. 4+ years of spacecraft or satellite mechanism design experience. Demonstrated experience designing spaceflight hardware that has flown, including at least one deployment, launch restraint, or release mechanism. Preloaded joint design experience, including torque and preload relationships, preload retention, and margin against a recognized standard such as NASA-STD-5020. Hands-on deployment, vibration, and shock testing experience. Proficiency with structural finite element analysis (FEA) for modal, quasi-static, and random vibration analysis of stowed and deployed configurations. Experience modeling complex and preloaded joints. Working knowledge of launch and on-orbit load environments, factors of safety, and margin of safety reporting. Strong command of 3D CAD, detailed drawings, tolerance stack-ups, and GD&T (ASME Y14.5). Solid understanding of spaceflight materials, hardware, fabrication techniques, and design for manufacturability. Strong ability to communicate across engineering disciplines to make program-critical decisions. Preferred Qualifications Experience delivering separation systems, deployables, release mechanisms, precision mechanisms, or other moving mechanical assemblies to flight. Experience owning spacecraft primary structure at the bus level, including launch vehicle interface hardware and rideshare accommodation. Experience with stacked or multi-body stowed configurations. Experience designing preloaded joints into sandwich panel structure, including potted inserts, hard points, and compression tubes. Experience with bonded joint design and analysis. Experience characterizing NEA-induced shock, including shock response spectrum analysis. Experience applying torque and force margin methodology per NASA-STD-5017, NASA-STD-5020, or equivalents. Experience designing gravity offload rigs. Familiarity with vacuum tribology, including lubricants, dry film coatings, galling, and cold welding. Familiarity with vibration test notching and force limiting. Familiarity with NASA verification standards, including the General Environmental Verification Standard (GEVS), and/or SMC-S-016. Proficiency with Onshape (SolidWorks, NX, or Creo also valued). Proficiency with industry-standard FEA tools (e.g., Nastran/Femap, ANSYS, Abaqus). Proficiency with Python or MATLAB for analysis and data processing. Hands-on R&D background, including prototyping, testing, and iterating on novel mechanical concepts. Experience in a startup or fast-iteration hardware environment. Compensation and Benefits Engineer: $110,000 to $140,000 Senior Engineer: $140,000 to $170,000 Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. In addition to the base salary, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options. You will receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and paid parental leave. You may also receive 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you 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. Equal Opportunity Rendezvous Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment is based on merit, competence, and qualifications, and will not be influenced by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.
Urban Sky
Denver, Colorado
About Urban Sky Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup on a mission to pioneer humanity's routine, easy access to the stratosphere and the value locked within it. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems. The data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of War (DoW), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis. Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment. We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and Texas and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members. Position Overview / Onsite / Full-time / Salaried Urban Sky is seeking a Senior Embedded Imaging Software Engineer to own the firmware, imaging pipeline, and data-movement stack behind our electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) payloads - from the sensor at the focal plane to the command-and-control link on the ground. You'll write the firmware that drives our cameras and edge compute, own the CUDA image processing pipeline that turns raw pixels into clean, calibrated, geo-tagged imagery, and architect the high-rate data paths and C2 infrastructure that connect the payload to the customer. Your goal: deliver clean, honest imagery. Much of this work proves out in the field - at events, exercises, and customer engagements. Key Responsibilities: Own embedded firmware for our EO and IR payloads: sensor bring-up, driver development, and edge compute on NVIDIA Jetson platforms Integrate cameras and sensors over PCIe, MIPI/CSI, and USB, and develop board-support packages for custom carrier boards, system-on-modules, and companion microcontrollers Own the L0 image processing pipeline running in CUDA at the edge: debayering, white balance, gamma, and camera/lens correction - applied to raw frames before any codec Own IR-specific processing: non-uniformity correction (NUC), bad-pixel replacement, and radiometric calibration Develop multi-frame super-resolution and related computational imaging capabilities Implement imagery metadata (KLV/MISB) so every frame carries accurate pointing, position, and time Architect high-throughput data paths across the vehicle - PCIe as a first-class specialty - and the routing infrastructure that carries imagery, telemetry, and C2 across satellite, tactical-radio, and IP links Optimize for latency, throughput, and determinism, and balance pipeline compute against onboard ML workloads sharing the same CUDA resources Integrate payload firmware with the gimbal and motion-control stack, consuming pointing and autonomy commands from the broader payload software architecture Develop and maintain optical calibrations for our EO/IR payloads - lens distortion modeling, vignetting/flat-field correction, and MTF/sharpness characterization - so imagery quality is measured and repeatable across cameras and flights Implement motion and temporal compensation (frame-to-frame registration, stabilization, and temporal filtering) to maximize effective image quality from a moving platform Qualifications: Experience building end-to-end camera/imaging systems, from sensor to downstream consumer Working experience with image processing pipelines (debayering, calibration, correction) and CUDA or GPU-accelerated processing Experience with optical calibration and characterization - distortion modeling, vignetting correction, MTF/sharpness measurement - and building the correction steps that apply them in a processing pipeline Familiarity with motion/temporal compensation techniques (registration, stabilization, temporal filtering) for imaging from moving platforms 5+ years developing embedded firmware in C/C++ for embedded Linux and/or bare-metal/RTOS systems Hands-on experience shipping on NVIDIA Jetson or comparable embedded Linux/SoC platforms Deep experience moving high-rate data over PCIe (driver, DMA, endpoint/root-complex level) Solid grounding in networking, data routing, and command-and-control infrastructure Strong hardware debugging skills and comfort working from schematics Nice-to-Haves / Preferred Skills: IR/thermal imaging experience, including NUC and radiometric calibration GStreamer, V4L2, or other imaging/video pipeline frameworks Computational imaging techniques (super-resolution, stacking, HDR) Defense imagery and metadata standards (MISB/KLV, STANAG); defense or mission-critical development experience FPGA workflows or high-speed serial interfaces (SerDes, Aurora, MIPI) Experience with optics and optical hardware Experience with multi-sensor and multispectral fusion - co-registering and combining imagery across sensors and bands into fused data products, in partnership with downstream data teams Requirements: Must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident Must be able to obtain and maintain a US security clearance (an active clearance is a plus) Must be located near Denver, CO or willing to relocate; role is on-site at our Denver headquarters (4800 Race St) Travel expected to support field events, exercises, and customer engagements Benefits: Stock Options Medical, Vision and Dental Flexible PTO Cell Phone Bill Stipend Urban Sky is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. The pay range for this role is: 140,000 - 180,000 USD per year(Denver CO HQ) PI5810b4bf9b36-6921
About Urban Sky Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup on a mission to pioneer humanity's routine, easy access to the stratosphere and the value locked within it. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems. The data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of War (DoW), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis. Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment. We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and Texas and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members. Position Overview / Onsite / Full-time / Salaried Urban Sky is seeking a Senior Embedded Imaging Software Engineer to own the firmware, imaging pipeline, and data-movement stack behind our electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) payloads - from the sensor at the focal plane to the command-and-control link on the ground. You'll write the firmware that drives our cameras and edge compute, own the CUDA image processing pipeline that turns raw pixels into clean, calibrated, geo-tagged imagery, and architect the high-rate data paths and C2 infrastructure that connect the payload to the customer. Your goal: deliver clean, honest imagery. Much of this work proves out in the field - at events, exercises, and customer engagements. Key Responsibilities: Own embedded firmware for our EO and IR payloads: sensor bring-up, driver development, and edge compute on NVIDIA Jetson platforms Integrate cameras and sensors over PCIe, MIPI/CSI, and USB, and develop board-support packages for custom carrier boards, system-on-modules, and companion microcontrollers Own the L0 image processing pipeline running in CUDA at the edge: debayering, white balance, gamma, and camera/lens correction - applied to raw frames before any codec Own IR-specific processing: non-uniformity correction (NUC), bad-pixel replacement, and radiometric calibration Develop multi-frame super-resolution and related computational imaging capabilities Implement imagery metadata (KLV/MISB) so every frame carries accurate pointing, position, and time Architect high-throughput data paths across the vehicle - PCIe as a first-class specialty - and the routing infrastructure that carries imagery, telemetry, and C2 across satellite, tactical-radio, and IP links Optimize for latency, throughput, and determinism, and balance pipeline compute against onboard ML workloads sharing the same CUDA resources Integrate payload firmware with the gimbal and motion-control stack, consuming pointing and autonomy commands from the broader payload software architecture Develop and maintain optical calibrations for our EO/IR payloads - lens distortion modeling, vignetting/flat-field correction, and MTF/sharpness characterization - so imagery quality is measured and repeatable across cameras and flights Implement motion and temporal compensation (frame-to-frame registration, stabilization, and temporal filtering) to maximize effective image quality from a moving platform Qualifications: Experience building end-to-end camera/imaging systems, from sensor to downstream consumer Working experience with image processing pipelines (debayering, calibration, correction) and CUDA or GPU-accelerated processing Experience with optical calibration and characterization - distortion modeling, vignetting correction, MTF/sharpness measurement - and building the correction steps that apply them in a processing pipeline Familiarity with motion/temporal compensation techniques (registration, stabilization, temporal filtering) for imaging from moving platforms 5+ years developing embedded firmware in C/C++ for embedded Linux and/or bare-metal/RTOS systems Hands-on experience shipping on NVIDIA Jetson or comparable embedded Linux/SoC platforms Deep experience moving high-rate data over PCIe (driver, DMA, endpoint/root-complex level) Solid grounding in networking, data routing, and command-and-control infrastructure Strong hardware debugging skills and comfort working from schematics Nice-to-Haves / Preferred Skills: IR/thermal imaging experience, including NUC and radiometric calibration GStreamer, V4L2, or other imaging/video pipeline frameworks Computational imaging techniques (super-resolution, stacking, HDR) Defense imagery and metadata standards (MISB/KLV, STANAG); defense or mission-critical development experience FPGA workflows or high-speed serial interfaces (SerDes, Aurora, MIPI) Experience with optics and optical hardware Experience with multi-sensor and multispectral fusion - co-registering and combining imagery across sensors and bands into fused data products, in partnership with downstream data teams Requirements: Must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident Must be able to obtain and maintain a US security clearance (an active clearance is a plus) Must be located near Denver, CO or willing to relocate; role is on-site at our Denver headquarters (4800 Race St) Travel expected to support field events, exercises, and customer engagements Benefits: Stock Options Medical, Vision and Dental Flexible PTO Cell Phone Bill Stipend Urban Sky is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. The pay range for this role is: 140,000 - 180,000 USD per year(Denver CO HQ) PI5810b4bf9b36-6921