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.

Astra is building Rocket 4, a high‑cadence small‑satellite launch vehicle. The Test & Launch team is the common infrastructure layer for the program – we design and operate the test stands, simulation environments, and launch systems that propulsion, avionics, GNC, and structures all depend on.

This role sits at the intersection of instrumentation and control, automation software, and systems test. You will design DAQ and control architectures for test stands across the program, write the software that makes those stands run safely and repeatably, and work directly with engineering teams to define what test infrastructure they need and build it.

One of the near‑term work streams for this role is the Launch System Simulator (LSS), a hardware‑in‑the‑loop environment that runs the full avionics stack, flight software, and GNC algorithms against real‑time plant models. The LSS needs an owner who can define its architecture, build out the simulation infrastructure, and integrate it into the broader test program. Beyond LSS, the role expands into I&C design and commissioning across 20+ test stands on the development roadmap.

This is not a desk job. You will be in the lab, on the test stand, at the facility. You will write control logic, terminate wiring, commission sensors, troubleshoot data pipelines during a test campaign, and eventually support launch operations.

Rocket 4 is a full‑stack development program. Every subsystem – propulsion, avionics, GNC, structures, valves – has a test campaign running in parallel with development. The Test & Launch team is the infrastructure layer that all of them depend on.

This role accelerates two things that matter for the program: it delivers the simulation and HIL infrastructure that supports flight software and GNC verification, and it deepens the team's I&C and controls capability so we can design and commission test stands as fast as the program needs them.

• 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…