Controls Engineer

Icarus Robotics is building the robotic workforce for space industrialization. We're developing dexterous robots to automate routine tasks inside space stations, dramatically reducing operational costs and unlocking the $130,000/hr astronaut labor bottleneck.

Backed by a $6.1 million seed round led by top-tier investors in deep tech and space, we're rapidly expanding our team and accelerating our development timeline. Our engineers work directly with NASA and collaborate with some of the largest aerospace companies on next-generation space technologies. We've secured partnerships with commercial LEO destination companies who will host our robots on future space stations, creating a clear path to orbit for our technology. We're now preparing for our first ISS test mission, JOYRIDE-1; a key proving ground for full orbital deployment.

We believe in an industrialized low-Earth orbit this decade and we’re making it happen.

As a controls engineer, you’ll help take our robots from prototype to zero-gravity testing and orbital deployment. You’ll shape our systems and culture as one of the earliest technical hires.

You will put a robot in space.

• Design, simulate, implement and tune controllers for free-flying, bimanual robotic systems operating in microgravity environments.

• Translate control designs into real-time executables integrated into ROS2 and deployed on embedded platforms (e.g., Jetson, Raspberry Pi).

• Validate controllers in simulation environments (e.g., Isaac Sim, custom MATLAB simulations) and in physical test-rigs.

• Collaborate with design and robotics teams to guide design trade-offs and ensure control systems integration.

• Contribute to system architecture decisions with a controls-first perspective.

• Collaborate with NASA and commercial space partners to prepare systems for orbital deployment.

• Degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.

• Strong understanding of robot dynamics, control systems and system identification.

• Strong proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink for control system design, simulation, and analysis.

• Experience implementing control algorithms in Python and/or C++ and integrating with ROS2.

• Experience deploying controllers on real robots or embedded hardware (e.g., Jetson, Raspberry Pi).

• Comfortable working in Linux-based environments and debugging real-time, hardware-in-the-loop systems.

• Experience with thruster-based or underactuated systems (e.g., drones, satellites, spacecraft)

• Familiarity with actuator control (DC motors, servos, stepper motors, BLDCs with ESCs).

• Exposure to space robotics, microgravity dynamics, or working in collaboration with space agencies.

• Familiarity with simulation tools such as Isaac Sim, Gazebo, or PyBullet.

• Understanding of safety-critical control or fault-tolerant system design.

What We Offer

• Equity as a founding team member.

• Competitive salary: $100,000 - $180,000 depending on experience.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Access to cutting-edge tools and the autonomy to move fast.

• A foundational role in shaping the future of in-space robotics and orbital manufacturing.

• Collaboration with top-tier investors, NASA teams, and commercial space leaders.