Principal Embedded Software Engineer (actuators & Control Systems)

Principal Embedded Software Engineer (Actuators & Control Systems)

As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer at Impulse focused on Actuation & Control Systems, you will be responsible for developing embedded software that controls a variety of actuated systems across launch vehicles and spacecraft. These include rocket engine valves, satellite thrusters, thrust vector control actuators, and motor-driven devices such as reaction wheels and gimbals. You will collaborate with propulsion, avionics, and GNC teams to design high-performance, fault-tolerant firmware capable of operating reliably in harsh environments such as launch and space.

Responsibilities

Develop real-time firmware for controlling: Rocket engine valves and thrust vector control actuators (TVCAs); Satellite propulsion systems, including cold gas and electric thrusters; and Motor-driven systems such as reaction wheels, gimbals, and momentum wheels.

Implement closed-loop control for: Position, velocity, torque, and pressure regulation; as well as Feedback via encoders, LVDTs, resolvers, current sensors, and pressure sensors.

Interface with motor drivers and redundant actuator systems using protocols like CAN, SPI, UART, Ethernet, RS-422, and BISS-C.

Design and implement safety-critical state machines for thrust sequences, valve actuation, pressurization, and safe shutdowns.

Participate in hotfire campaigns, environmental testing, and in-flight diagnostics.

Write unit-tested and reviewable production firmware for use in both testbeds and spacecraft.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.

12+ years of embedded C/C++ development experience for electromechanical control systems.

Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, hardware debuggers, and source-level debuggers to troubleshoot problems at all layers of the stack.

Experience implementing real-time control loops, motor commutation, and actuator calibration routines.

Proficiency working with servo motors, stepper motors, or brushless DC motors.

Strong understanding of low-level hardware and digital interfaces (I2C, SPI, CAN, UART).

Preferred Skills and Experience

Prior work on rocket engine controller software, including valve sequencing and abort logic.

Experience with satellite attitude control systems (ACS), including reaction wheels, magnetorquers, and small thrusters.

Familiarity with redundant actuator architectures and fault detection/response algorithms.

Exposure to space environment constraints such as vacuum, temperature extremes, and radiation upsets.

About Impulse Space

Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.