2027 Spring Optical Engineering Internship

About the role

Ephemeris Net is a pre‑seed space networking company extending the internet to space. We are creating the infrastructure for a space‑based internet beyond bent‑pipe, starting with foundational networking hardware that will define how data moves through space. Supported by our parent incubator SOE, we are preparing to launch our first payload demonstrating a space‑based router in Q1 2027.

We are looking for engineering interns to work directly on our two core products: optical terminals for space‑based laser communications and the networking service that connects satellites into a space network. By the end of the internship you will have worked on something that either goes to space (hardware or embedded firmware/software) or pushes forward the technical capability of our internal network and node simulation. Your specific project will match your background to the company’s sharpest needs, ensuring a meaningful contribution and a strong learning opportunity.

How this role works: you will be assigned a mentor in the product area closest to your project, have regular check‑ins and direct access for technical guidance, scope your project, execute it, and present results to the team at the end of the internship.

The opportunity: build hardware that flies on orbit or develop simulations that shape a constellation‑scale network; work at the frontier of space networking where greenfield infrastructure is rare. Our vision is to enable an open space internet that anyone can utilize, believing that better digital connectivity is essential for human progress and that collaboration within market competition expands the internet into space.

Locations: El Segundo, CA (aerospace hub near SpaceX, Aerospace Corp, Northrop Grumman) and Oakland, CA (BART access, close to UC Berkeley and Bay Area networking/space research communities).

Responsibilities

• Design and implement optical transceiver FPGA firmware
• Build a space network simulator
• Design and fabricate test fixtures or mechanical subsystems for optical terminal prototypes or their test fixtures
• Build high‑speed optoelectronic communication test equipment
• Write embedded flight software

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to build things: personal projects, research, coursework, or prior internships where you wrote code, designed hardware, or ran experiments that produced tangible results
• Strong fundamentals in at least one of: embedded systems and FPGA development, software engineering (C, C++, Python, or Rust), optical or mechanical design, electrical engineering, information theory, or networking and simulation
• Ability to work on‑site in El Segundo, CA or Oakland, CA for a minimum of 3 months, 3 days a week
• Must be a US person (15 CFR 772.1)

Qualifications

• Prior experience with FPGA development (Verilog, VHDL, or SystemVerilog)
• Familiarity with optical systems, laser communications, or free‑space optics
• Experience with network simulation tools or protocol design
• Exposure to space systems engineering, orbital mechanics, or flight software
• Experience with CAD tools (SolidWorks, NX) or PCB design (Altium, KiCad)

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care coverage

Pay

Salary: $70,400 annual salary, pror