Job Description

Lead Rover Navigation and Perception Engineer

Department: Software Engineering

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Hawthorne, California

Reporting To: Denise Brown

Compensation: $142,000 - $235,000 / year

Astrolab is The Lunar Operations Company. We design and build the systems and hardware the lunar economy will come to depend on — rovers, power, and data networks for sustained operations on the Moon. We are focused on the problems that must be solved before the next chapter of human exploration can scale. The Moon does not forgive untested assumptions. The people who work here know that, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

The Lead Rover Navigation and Perception Engineer will be responsible for the design, tuning, analysis, and characterization of the navigation and perception system for Astrolab’s extra-terrestrial rovers. The Lead Rover Navigation and Perception Engineer will work closely with the flight software team to implement and test all of the rover navigation and perception algorithms. This position is a technical leadership position with an expectation that the lead will also be doing hands on work as part of the rover guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) team to design, characterize, and test the vehicle navigation and perception system. The Lead Rover Navigation and Perception Engineer will devise test campaigns to be executed with real hardware in simulated and analog lunar environments and work with the team to execute the tests.

Note: Some travel may be required for this position

What you'll do:

Lead a small team of engineers to design, characterize, test, verify, and validate localization and perception systems for extra-terrestrial rovers
Bring a navigation and perception solution from early design through flight operations on an aggressive schedule for Astrolab’s CLV-1 lunar rover
Work closely with the software team to implement and test navigation, perception, and obstacle avoidance flight software
Ensure that extra-terrestrial rover navigation and perception solutions are robust, upgradable during flight, and practical
Devise, supervise, and execute navigation and perception system testing with real sensors and flight computers using a test vehicle operating in simulated lunar conditions
Ensure that navigation and perception system meet performance and NASA human rated spacecraft system requirements

What you'll bring:

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
10+ years designing, developing, and testing navigation, localization, and perception systems for rovers, autonomous vehicles, GPS-denied vehicle navigation systems, or similar autonomous or robotic platforms.
Experience with practical sensor fusion and Kalman filtering for wheeled vehicle navigation and perception, with specific experience using sensors with widely different modalities to determine robust navigation and perception solutions (e.g. IMU, lidar, radar, star tracker, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience designing, tuning, developing, analyzing, characterizing, verifying, and validating navigation and perception solutions for wheeled vehicles
Experience developing, testing, and characterizing obstacle detection and avoidance algorithms for wheeled vehicles
Experience dealing with real world issues that affect navigation/localization/perception system design and performance, such as invalid data, dropped packets, data latencies, blurry images, and similar
Experience supporting a navigation/localization system through the entire lifecycle, from early design through live vehicle operations
Experience in C++ and Python programming

Benefits and Perks

Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
Equity ownership in the company
Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
401(k) plan with company match
Flexible PTO and parental leave
Home office set up reimbursement
Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks

About Astrolab

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system.

Headquartered in Hawthorne, California, we are an American-owned and American-operated small business. Our team has more than five decades of experience in terrestrial and planetary robotics, electric vehicles, human spaceflight, and human intelligence field operations. Our stellar team, strategic partnerships with cutting-edge companies and institutions combine with our world-class manufacturing, integration and test facility will enable the delivery of lunar and Mars mobility solutions at maximum reliability, flexibility and cost effectiveness.

Having a strong, diverse, and inspired team is essential to accomplishing our bold mission. Employees are our biggest asset, and we are deeply committed to them and our values.

At Astrolab we…

Demonstrate and inspire trust. Interactions are direct, honest, and respectful. We are fair and transparent with what we do and why.

Thrive in balance. Balance gives us perspective and keeps us motivated and inspired. We commit to rewarding work and a fulfilling personal life.

Seek diverse perspectives. We ask questions, engage in productive debate and offer alternatives to ensure our solutions and products are robust and a reflection of our collective best.

Move with purpose. Quality and reliability are accomplished through efficient ideation and iteration. We act with a sense of urgency and deliver what we promise, always with the big picture in mind.

Make an impact. We intentionally move our community and industry into the future through our work, practices, and actions.

Check out our website for current openings and help us drive the future of planetary exploration & development!

Industry

Aviation & Aerospace

Company Size

51-200 employees

Headquarters

Hawthorne, California

Year Founded

2019

Website

astrolab.space

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