Avionics Electrical Propulsion Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Avionics Electrical Propulsion Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Department: Internship

Employment Type: Internship

Location: Redondo Beach

Compensation: $32.00 / hour

Description

As an Avionics Electrical Propulsion Engineering Intern, you will work alongside experienced engineers to design, build, and test custom circuit boards and avionics hardware that power Electra, our electric propulsion system. You will gain hands-on experience across the spacecraft electronics development lifecycle, from circuit design and analysis to board bring-up, debugging, testing, and integration.

This internship is 12 weeks long and will run from May/June to August/September of 2027.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the design, development, assembly, and testing of custom circuit boards and avionics hardware for electric propulsion system.
• Support schematic development, component selection, circuit analysis, simulation, and PCB layout
• Assist with the development and testing of actuator drivers, power converters, load switches, and other specialized electronics
• Support hardware bring-up, troubleshooting, debugging, and validation in the lab
• Contribute to test setups, execute test procedures under supervision, and analyze test data
• Assist with defining and verifying hardware interfaces and requirements
• Support hardware integration with propulsion, firmware, software, GNC, mechanical, manufacturing, and test teams
• Assist with the documentation of designs, test results, engineering analyses, and hardware configurations
• Participate in hardware builds, rework, troubleshooting, and process improvement efforts

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
• Familiarity with basic circuit analysis and electronic components
• Coursework or project experience in analog, digital, or power electronics
• Hands-on experience building, testing, or troubleshooting electronic circuits
• Familiarity with common electrical engineering lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and function generators
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, fast-paced, hands-on environment

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience designing or building printed circuit boards (PCBs)
• Familiarity with Altium Designer or other PCB design tools
• Experience with circuit simulation tools
• Experience with power converters, actuator/motor drivers, load switches, or other power electronics
• Familiarity with microcontrollers, processors, ADCs, DACs, op-amps, filtering, power integrity, or signal integrity
• Experience with soldering, electronics assembly, or board-level rework
• Experience with hardware bring-up, debugging, or laboratory testing
• Familiarity with automated testing, data acquisition, or test equipment
• Hands-on experience in an aerospace, propulsion, electronics, or experimental research lab setting
• Previous experience working with spacecraft, rockets, or other aerospace hardware

Additional Requirements:

• Willing and able to work on-site in Redondo Beach, CA, for the duration of the internship
• This position may require overtime hours; interns are eligible for overtime pay.

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space's spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.