BO
Space Optical Payload Test Engineer - TeraWave
Accepting applicationsBlue Origin · Kent, WA
Full-Time Mid_senior AIEthernetPythonUSBai
Posted
6d ago
Category
Test
Experience
Mid_senior
Country
United States
About Blue Origin & the TeraWave Program
At Blue Origin, we build the road to space — for the benefit of Earth. The TeraWave program is developing next-generation free-space optical laser communication terminals (lasercom) for space-based data relay in medium Earth orbit (MEO). These precision assemblies transmit data at over 100 Gbps between spacecraft using focused laser beams. Our terminals must survive launch loads, operate through the full orbital thermal environment, and meet stringent requirements for wavefront error (WFE), line-of-sight (LOS) stability, and optical throughput. We are transitioning from engineering development units (EDUs) to flight unit manufacturing and production-rate acceptance testing — and we need engineers who have worked with real space hardware.
The Role
As a Level III Space Optical Payload Test Engineer, you will work within a structured test team to plan, execute, and document environmental qualification and optical performance tests on lasercom flight terminals. You will work independently within your assigned scope under senior engineer oversight, collaborating with optical designers, systems engineers, and the production team. This is a hands-on hardware role — you will spend significant time in the lab, cleanroom, and at environmental test facilities, not primarily at a desk. Your acceptance data directly determines what flies.
Key Responsibilities
Environmental Qualification & Acceptance Testing
Write test plans and procedures for TVAC, vibration, and shock campaigns with clear pass/fail criteria, instrumentation requirements, safety precautions, and step-by-step operator instructions traceable to system requirements
Execute TVAC campaigns — configure instrumentation inside the vacuum chamber, monitor real-time temperature and performance data, perform functional checks at each test point, and document anomalies
Execute vibration and shock tests — set up accelerometers and sensors, monitor live data, coordinate fixture qualification with the structural team, and perform pre/post optical performance checks
Serve as Test Conductor: direct the test team, make real-time continue/hold/abort calls, enforce safety protocols, and maintain a complete test log
Present test results at TRRs (Test Readiness Reviews) and Post-Test Reviews with clear, data-supported findings
Optical & Opto-Mechanical Performance Testing
Measure WFE using interferometers (e.g., Zygo) or Shack-Hartmann sensors; decompose into Zernike terms; document pass/fail against specification limits
Measure LOS stability — static pointing error and dynamic jitter; process using PSD analysis tools
Verify optical throughput against link budget allocations; identify unexpected loss sources
Test PAT (Pointing, Acquisition, Tracking) — functional and performance verification against speed and accuracy specifications
Compare measured data to Zemax, FEA, and STOP model predictions; investigate and report discrepancies to senior engineers
Test Automation & Software Development
Write Python scripts (NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib) to control instruments over GPIB, USB, serial, and Ethernet/VISA interfaces; automate test sequences with real-time limit monitoring and pass/fail flagging
Build data reduction pipelines converting raw multi-channel datasets into performance summaries, compliance tables, and serial-number trend charts
Manage all code in Git with clear version control, commit documentation, and team code review compliance
Connect automation to LIMS/data management system — all results stored with unit serial number, build configuration, test date, and calibration status traceability
Support HIL/SIL test setups for PAT control system verification as directed by senior engineers
Data Acquisition & Instrumentation
Select, configure, and maintain sensors and DAQ hardware (NI PXI/cDAQ); verify signal conditioning, sample rates, and measurement ranges for each test
Track and renew instrument calibration on schedule — no out-of-calibration instrument may be used for flight-relevant acceptance measurements
Maintain an instrumentation database with calibration status, measurement uncertainty, and location for all test equipment
Measurement Uncertainty & Test Quality
Build measurement uncertainty budgets (GUM methodology); identify error contributors, calculate combined uncertainty, and set guardbands to protect acceptance decisions at specification boundaries
Support Gage R&R studies confirming test system repeatability and reproducibility before production acceptance use
Track SPC control charts across production serial numbers; escalate trends or process shifts to the test lead
Documentation & Failure Investigation
Author test plans, procedures, and reports in a controlled, revision-managed documentation environment with full requirements traceability
Log all test anomalies formally — description, impact assessment, and immediate action taken
Support root-cause investigations by reviewing data history, comparing across serial numbers, and systematically eliminating potential causes
Maintain full data traceability: every file linked to serial number, build state, test date, procedure revision, and instrument calibration records
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Optical, or Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related discipline
6 years of hands-on hardware test experience in the aerospace, defense, or space industry
Direct hands-on experience executing TVAC and/or random vibration / mechanical shock campaigns on aerospace or space hardware
Hands-on experience measuring at least one of: WFE, LOS stability, optical throughput, or beam quality on a precision optical or opto-mechanical assembly
Working Python proficiency — instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis (NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib); code samples may be requested
Experience with NI PXI / cDAQ or equivalent DAQ hardware — sensor wiring, channel configuration, software integration
Experience authoring formal test plans, procedures, and reports in a controlled, revision-managed documentation environment
Familiarity with at least one space test standard: GEVS/GSFC-STD-7000, SMC-S-016, MIL-STD-1540, MIL-STD-810, or ECSS-E-ST-10
Preferred Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Physics
Lasercom experience — FSO link testing, PAT system characterization, or optical link budget verification
STOP analysis correlation — comparing measured WFE/LOS data to Zemax, FEA, or STOP model outputs
GUM uncertainty budgeting, Gage R&R / MSA, and SPC in a production aerospace context
LabVIEW proficiency; Git version control and code review workflows
AS9100 / ISO 9001 familiarity — NCRs, CAPA, and First Article Inspection (FAI)
Cleanroom experience (ISO Class 8 or better) ESD handling, FOD prevention, optical surface contamination control
HIL/SIL test experience for control system verification; EMI/EMC testing per MIL-STD-461
Show more Show less
At Blue Origin, we build the road to space — for the benefit of Earth. The TeraWave program is developing next-generation free-space optical laser communication terminals (lasercom) for space-based data relay in medium Earth orbit (MEO). These precision assemblies transmit data at over 100 Gbps between spacecraft using focused laser beams. Our terminals must survive launch loads, operate through the full orbital thermal environment, and meet stringent requirements for wavefront error (WFE), line-of-sight (LOS) stability, and optical throughput. We are transitioning from engineering development units (EDUs) to flight unit manufacturing and production-rate acceptance testing — and we need engineers who have worked with real space hardware.
The Role
As a Level III Space Optical Payload Test Engineer, you will work within a structured test team to plan, execute, and document environmental qualification and optical performance tests on lasercom flight terminals. You will work independently within your assigned scope under senior engineer oversight, collaborating with optical designers, systems engineers, and the production team. This is a hands-on hardware role — you will spend significant time in the lab, cleanroom, and at environmental test facilities, not primarily at a desk. Your acceptance data directly determines what flies.
Key Responsibilities
Environmental Qualification & Acceptance Testing
Write test plans and procedures for TVAC, vibration, and shock campaigns with clear pass/fail criteria, instrumentation requirements, safety precautions, and step-by-step operator instructions traceable to system requirements
Execute TVAC campaigns — configure instrumentation inside the vacuum chamber, monitor real-time temperature and performance data, perform functional checks at each test point, and document anomalies
Execute vibration and shock tests — set up accelerometers and sensors, monitor live data, coordinate fixture qualification with the structural team, and perform pre/post optical performance checks
Serve as Test Conductor: direct the test team, make real-time continue/hold/abort calls, enforce safety protocols, and maintain a complete test log
Present test results at TRRs (Test Readiness Reviews) and Post-Test Reviews with clear, data-supported findings
Optical & Opto-Mechanical Performance Testing
Measure WFE using interferometers (e.g., Zygo) or Shack-Hartmann sensors; decompose into Zernike terms; document pass/fail against specification limits
Measure LOS stability — static pointing error and dynamic jitter; process using PSD analysis tools
Verify optical throughput against link budget allocations; identify unexpected loss sources
Test PAT (Pointing, Acquisition, Tracking) — functional and performance verification against speed and accuracy specifications
Compare measured data to Zemax, FEA, and STOP model predictions; investigate and report discrepancies to senior engineers
Test Automation & Software Development
Write Python scripts (NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib) to control instruments over GPIB, USB, serial, and Ethernet/VISA interfaces; automate test sequences with real-time limit monitoring and pass/fail flagging
Build data reduction pipelines converting raw multi-channel datasets into performance summaries, compliance tables, and serial-number trend charts
Manage all code in Git with clear version control, commit documentation, and team code review compliance
Connect automation to LIMS/data management system — all results stored with unit serial number, build configuration, test date, and calibration status traceability
Support HIL/SIL test setups for PAT control system verification as directed by senior engineers
Data Acquisition & Instrumentation
Select, configure, and maintain sensors and DAQ hardware (NI PXI/cDAQ); verify signal conditioning, sample rates, and measurement ranges for each test
Track and renew instrument calibration on schedule — no out-of-calibration instrument may be used for flight-relevant acceptance measurements
Maintain an instrumentation database with calibration status, measurement uncertainty, and location for all test equipment
Measurement Uncertainty & Test Quality
Build measurement uncertainty budgets (GUM methodology); identify error contributors, calculate combined uncertainty, and set guardbands to protect acceptance decisions at specification boundaries
Support Gage R&R studies confirming test system repeatability and reproducibility before production acceptance use
Track SPC control charts across production serial numbers; escalate trends or process shifts to the test lead
Documentation & Failure Investigation
Author test plans, procedures, and reports in a controlled, revision-managed documentation environment with full requirements traceability
Log all test anomalies formally — description, impact assessment, and immediate action taken
Support root-cause investigations by reviewing data history, comparing across serial numbers, and systematically eliminating potential causes
Maintain full data traceability: every file linked to serial number, build state, test date, procedure revision, and instrument calibration records
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Optical, or Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related discipline
6 years of hands-on hardware test experience in the aerospace, defense, or space industry
Direct hands-on experience executing TVAC and/or random vibration / mechanical shock campaigns on aerospace or space hardware
Hands-on experience measuring at least one of: WFE, LOS stability, optical throughput, or beam quality on a precision optical or opto-mechanical assembly
Working Python proficiency — instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis (NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib); code samples may be requested
Experience with NI PXI / cDAQ or equivalent DAQ hardware — sensor wiring, channel configuration, software integration
Experience authoring formal test plans, procedures, and reports in a controlled, revision-managed documentation environment
Familiarity with at least one space test standard: GEVS/GSFC-STD-7000, SMC-S-016, MIL-STD-1540, MIL-STD-810, or ECSS-E-ST-10
Preferred Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Physics
Lasercom experience — FSO link testing, PAT system characterization, or optical link budget verification
STOP analysis correlation — comparing measured WFE/LOS data to Zemax, FEA, or STOP model outputs
GUM uncertainty budgeting, Gage R&R / MSA, and SPC in a production aerospace context
LabVIEW proficiency; Git version control and code review workflows
AS9100 / ISO 9001 familiarity — NCRs, CAPA, and First Article Inspection (FAI)
Cleanroom experience (ISO Class 8 or better) ESD handling, FOD prevention, optical surface contamination control
HIL/SIL test experience for control system verification; EMI/EMC testing per MIL-STD-461
Show more Show less