Project Kuiper is an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its mission is to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Project Kuiper will help close the digital divide by delivering fast, affordable broadband to a wide range of customers, including consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in places without reliable connectivity.

Export Control Requirement: Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

As a Robotics Engineer you will engage with an experienced cross-disciplinary team to develop and execute tests of Payload phased array antennas and customer terminals. These devices need to be mechanically aligned using a Hexagon/Leica laser tracker, manipulated with an industrial robot in front of the testers, code and simulate the satellite orbital movement during the antenna link test in real time, synchronously to the payload test ecosystem.

Other responsibilities are the design of systems to ensure the accuracy of the robot path, design and procure anchoring and fixturing for both robot and devices, and support of all Static and Dynamic Beam Pointing analysis and error budgets. Lastly, you will coordinate with vendors to explore new robotic solutions, fixtures and effector designs for automated manufacturing and testing.

You will exercise pragmatism and write automation code to devise test setups and procedures that are simple, easy to develop and maintain, yet able to perform all requirement verification tasks.
You’ll use documentation and communication skills to report test metrics and requirement pass/fail to Antenna designer, Array designers, Product Designer, Software team, as well as robot safety analyses and related documentation.


Key job responsibilities
---Laser Tracker metrology---
- Plan and execute precise dimensional measurements of robotic systems, tooling, and fixtures using laser tracker technology (e.g., FaroArm, Leica Tracker).
- Analyze measurement data, identify deviations, and provide actionable insights and procedures to ensure data accuracy and repeatability.
- Develop and implement open-loop and closed-loop control algorithms to minimize robot path errors.
---Robotics---
- Develop, modify, and debug control software for industrial robots (e.g., Fanuc, KUKA).
- Implement robot programs for tasks such as article manipulation for the purposes of antenna testing, material handling, assembly, and inspection, with a strong emphasis on dynamic path accuracy.
- Integrate robotic systems with other automation equipment and sensors (e.g., PLCs, vision systems).
- Develop user interfaces and data acquisition systems for robot control and monitoring, including tools for analyzing path error data.
- Create and review robot safety analysis docs, design and maintain robotic safety systems, and collaborate with our EHS department
--- Automation---
- Integrate test scripts and other instrumentation automation with laser tracker routines and robotic movement routines.


About the team
The Kuiper Antenna Test Infrastructure team provides the test systems and techniques to verify Payload, CT and full satellite vehicle hardware, integrates the test automation and connects the dots between Responsible Engineers and their product's test metrics. The team is a pivotal point for a multitude of other teams and orgs, our internal customers, and it's highly multidisciplinary: SysDE, SDE, ME, Metrology, Antenna, FPGA, Robotics and Lab Ops all converge in the same room.