Apolink Communications, a California-based satellite company, is building a 24/7 relay network in LEO. Our hybrid RF and optical links enable real-time connectivity for operators across industries. Backed by Y Combinator.
About the role
In this role, you'll design the constellation, verify RAAN and phasing, and run the coverage analysis that shows which architectures meet customer SLAs. You'll also build the propulsion and Δv budgets for deployment, station-keeping, collision avoidance, and de-orbit. This starts with our upcoming paired demonstration satellite mission and scales to the full LEO relay constellation.
What they're looking for
- Direct, hands-on experience with LEO mission or constellation design: orbit selection, SSO design, and station-keeping for flown or flight-bound spacecraft
- 4+ years in applied astrodynamics, mission design, or flight dynamics
- BS/MS/PhD in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, or physics, or equivalent demonstrated depth
- Proficiency with at least one of GMAT, STK/ODTK, FreeFlyer, Orekit, Tudat, or Basilisk, and strong Python
- Solid perturbation modeling: J2 and higher-order gravity, atmospheric drag (NRLMSISE-00, JB2008), and SRP
- Capacity to exercise independent technical judgment as the orbital authority and be accountable for it
More about this role
Apolink is building the first-ever backward-compatible data relay constellation in low Earth orbit. By enabling efficient data aggregation and relay through our hybrid RF-optical inter-satellite link (ISL) architecture, we support scalable and resilient space infrastructure across commercial, federal, and defense applications.
In this role, you'll design the constellation, verify RAAN and phasing, and run the coverage analysis that shows which architectures meet customer SLAs. You'll also build the propulsion and Δv budgets for deployment, station-keeping, collision avoidance, and de-orbit. This starts with our upcoming paired demonstration satellite mission and scales to the full LEO relay constellation. You'll work directly with the bus, propulsion, and optical/RF link teams and turn orbital analysis into hardware and mission requirements. The role is hands-on end to end: modeling, trade studies, maneuver planning, and on-orbit operations.
Design and own constellation architecture: plane count, altitude, inclination, LTAN, and intra- and inter-plane phasing, traded against coverage, launch cost, and ISL geometry
Run SLA-grade coverage analysis on link-closing access: handover...
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