2027 Optical Payload Engineer Intern

Costa Mesa, CA (OC-00)internship

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H1B: no

Anduril Industries Optical Payload Engineer Intern at Anduril Industries supporting integration of EO Payloads on spacecraft platforms from concept through on-orbit execution. The role involves system engineering, performance modeling, testing, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Responsibilities

Perform concept designs of active and passive EO payloads
Derive system and unit level requirements
Analyze performance with an understanding of payload technology and related physics
Identify payload key performance parameters and create test plans and procedures to measure these parameters in a laboratory environment
Perform hands-on characterization and calibration of the radiometric and geometric performance of flight hardware using collimators, integrating spheres, theodolites, laser trackers, interferometers, and other optical test equipment
Work with the external and internal engineering team to author Interface Control Documents (ICD) covering all aspects of payload integration including electrical, data, algorithmic, mechanical, thermal, and optical interfaces
Facilitate communication between mechanical, thermal, electrical, and software teams to resolve complex integration trades and manage technical risk
Define and develop payload data calibration algorithms and data products and work with computer vision and flight software engineers to integrate these algorithms into the processing pipeline
Define on-orbit calibration sequences, initialization procedures, and provide real-time engineering support during nominal operations
Clearly communicate with customers at design reviews and during the entire payload development lifecycle
Assist assembly and integration campaigns for space systems flight hardware
Integrate across numerous teams to collaboratively identify testing requirements to include verification and validation plans

Qualification

Must be a UExperience conducting assemblyExperience with ImageJ

Required

Must be pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Systems Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Must be returning to school at the end of the internship to continue academic studies for at least one quarter or semester.
Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities; U.S. clearance eligibility may be required depending on program.
Ability to complete an in-person 12-week internship in one of our offices in summer 2027.

Preferred

Experience conducting assembly, integration and test of space payload flight hardware with a focus on performance characterization and requirement verification
Understanding of professional optical test equipment, tools and methodologies with a tie back to the underlying physics
Experience with advanced payload analyses and laboratory measurements including photon transfer, dark current, radiometry, responsivity, distortion mapping, boresight alignments, non-uniformity corrections, point spread function, modulation transfer function, and more
Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex systems and detailed requirements
Capable of solving complex technical problems with little oversight
Clear communication and organizational skills including documentation and training material
Exposure to writing technical documentation, procedures, and reports
Experience with ImageJ, Python, MATLAB