Senior RF Engineer at Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA

Job description

About Cowboy Space Corp. Mission Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth. Background Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport. Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases. Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others. This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you. About the role We are looking for a hands-on RF engineer to own the selection, development, integration, and radio systems and associated RF hardware for our launch vehicle and spacecraft. You will turn mission requirements into a communications system that works reliably from the ground station to the vehicle. You will lead RF system trades, maintain link budgets, and take radio hardware through bring-up, environmental qualification, vehicle integration, and flight support. This is an individual contributor role with technical ownership across suppliers and the electrical, mechanical, software, integration, and test teams. Responsibilities • Define RF requirements and maintain link budgets for telemetry and command links, including antenna performance, losses, interference, and ground-station compatibility. • Evaluate radios, antennas, and RF components for the required bands from UHF through Ka-band; assess performance, interfaces, qualification evidence, and integration risks. • Own radio and RF hardware bring-up, configuration, characterization, and integration with flight software and vehicle avionics, working with suppliers to resolve interface and performance issues. • Develop and execute acceptance and qualification plans for RF hardware, including functional, vibration, shock, thermal, thermal-vacuum, and EMI/EMC testing as applicable. Coordinate facilities and equipment, lead test readiness, and maintain verification records. • Develop RF test benches, fixtures, cabling, calibration methods, and automation with the test team; identify testability needs early and support repeatable acceptance testing for subsequent builds. • Lead RF anomaly investigations across hardware, software, test equipment, and ground interfaces, verify corrective actions, and support flight operations. • Prepare technical inputs