Sr HIL Engineer/Test & Automation Engineer

Astra’s mission is to improve life on Earth from space by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services, and one of the industry’s leading flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, the Astra Spacecraft Engine.

• Work with propulsion, avionics, and software teams to design DAQ and control system architectures for test stands across the program: instrumentation plans, I/O lists, sensor selection, signal conditioning, control cabinet layout, wiring schematics.
• Write and commission control logic for test stand automation: sequencing, safety interlocks, abort logic, and operator interfaces. Beckhoff TwinCAT / structured text, Python, and whatever else gets the job done.
• Own the Launch System Simulator from architecture through delivery: select the HIL hardware platform, build real-time plant models (propulsion, GNC, avionics), define the simulation interface to flight software, and integrate fault injection and Monte Carlo test campaigns.
• Partner with ground software teams on data pipeline architecture: understanding the full path from DAQ hardware through storage, processing, and visualization well enough to define requirements and troubleshoot during test campaigns.
• Work with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and flight software teams to design and build test infrastructure: defining requirements, validating acceptance criteria, and commissioning new stands through ORR.
• Support active test campaigns at Castle (Chiron engine hot-fire) and Orion (upper stage component test). Travel to Cape Canaveral for launch campaign support.
• Document everything: P&IDs, wiring diagrams, software architecture, commissioning procedures, and test reports in Confluence.

• 4+ years of experience in test engineering, instrumentation & control, or systems test in aerospace, defense, automotive, or a hardware-intensive field.
• Hands-on experience designing and commissioning DAQ and control systems: sensor selection, signal conditioning, I/O architecture, real-time control platforms.
• Strong controls programming background: PLC/IEC 61131-3, structured text, state machines, interlock logic. Beckhoff TwinCAT preferred.
• Proficient in Python for data processing, test automation, and tooling.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation: real-time plant models, simulation framework integration, test case development.
• Comfortable with the full hardware lifecycle: you have taken a test stand from concept through commissioning and operated it during a test campaign.
• Strong communicator across disciplines. You have worked directly with software, avionics, or propulsion teams and translated between hardware and software requirements.
• Ability to work on-site in Alameda, CA with periodic travel to test sites and Cape Canaveral.

• A pure software role. You will write code, but you will also be on the stand installing sensors, terminating cables, and troubleshooting hardware.
• A single-domain role. You will design I&C systems, build simulation infrastructure, write test procedures, and commission hardware. The variety is the feature.
• A large-team, well-defined-scope position. We are 9 people building 20+ test stands and launching a rocket. You will own things nobody has ever owned before.
• A corporate environment. The test stand you commission this quarter will be the one you run next quarter.

• Software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulation experience: FSW regression frameworks, plant model integration, test case development without hardware in the loop.
• Beckhoff EtherCAT ecosystem: TwinCAT 3, EL series I/O terminals, real-time control.
• Real-time plant model development for HIL simulation: Simulink Real-Time, Speedgoat, NI VeriStand, or custom frameworks.
• Experience with flight software or avionics test: FSW regression frameworks, bus simulation (MIL-STD-1553, SpaceWire, UART/SPI/I2C), fault injection.
• Industrial fieldbus and protocol experience: EtherCAT, CAN bus, Modbus, Profinet.
• Familiarity with data pipeline tools: InfluxDB, Grafana, Parquet, TDMS, SQL, or time-series database architectures.
• Propulsion or hazardous fluid system experience: LOX/LN2/GN2 handling, high-pressure pneumatics, cryogenic instrumentation.
• Electrical control cabinet design: layout, grounding, EMI mitigation, wire routing, panel fabrication.
• Startup or high-tempo development environment (SpaceX, Relativity, Firefly, Joby, Zoox, Anduril, Cruise, or similar).
• dSPACE, Speedgoat, or NI VeriStand platform experience.