Join Astranis as a Radiation Effects Engineer to model spacecraft radiation environments and guide engineering design constraints.
Posted by employer 14 hours ago
First seen on Joblaze 4 hours ago
Last verified on the company career page 4 hours ago
Skills & Technologies
What you'll build
- Own the analytical model of the geostationary radiation environment
- Perform high-fidelity 3D Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations
- Lead analytical studies on spacecraft charging
- Develop and maintain Python-based pipelines for simulation datasets
- Translate simulation data into engineering guidance
Must have
- Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent
- 2+ years of industry experience using radiation environment tools
- Solid theoretical foundation in radiation interaction with matter
- Experience modeling spacecraft charging physics
- Proficiency in Python
Nice to have
- Master of Science or PhD in Nuclear Engineering or equivalent
- Deep knowledge of deep dielectric charging failure mechanisms
- Familiarity with the ISO 11221 spacecraft charging standard
Practical constraints
- U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
Requirements
- Experience
- 2+ years
- Education
- Bachelor's degree
- Visa
- No sponsorship (stated in posting)
Not disclosed in this posting: work arrangement.
Benefits
Joblaze summary
In the role of Radiation Effects Engineer at Astranis, the individual will focus on modeling the radiation environments that spacecraft encounter, translating complex physical theories into practical design constraints. Key skills include proficiency in radiation transport simulations and a solid understanding of spacecraft charging physics, with a strong emphasis on Python for data analysis and automation. This position is suited for candidates with a background in nuclear engineering or physics, ideally with a few years of relevant industry experience. Astranis, a rapidly growing company in the satellite communications sector, emphasizes a collaborative approach among its engineering teams
Joblaze insights
- Listed today — first seen on Joblaze October 7, 2026. Last confirmed on Astranis's careers page October 7, 2026.
- Salary band is in line with the typical range for comparable tech roles (median ~$127,000).
- Starts above 57% of 308 comparable mid other roles in United States that list Python we track (median $111,500 across 60 companies). See Python salary trends
- Python appears in 17% of 3056 comparable mid other roles in United States; Nuclear Engineering appears in 0.1% of 3056 comparable mid other roles in United States.
Quick facts
- What's the salary range?
- Astranis lists $120,000–$145,000 for this role.
- How much experience is required?
- At least 2 years of relevant experience for this Radiation Effects Engineer - Modeling role.
- What's the tech stack?
- Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Electrical Engineering, FastRAD, Geant4, MCNP, Monte Carlo, NASCAP-2k.
- What seniority level is this role?
- Astranis targets mid-level candidates for this position.
- Is this full-time or contract?
- Full-time for this Radiation Effects Engineer - Modeling role at Astranis.
From the original posting
Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.
Radiation Effects Engineer - Modeling
Astranis is bridging the digital divide by building and operating the next generation of smaller, lower-cost geostationary telecommunications satellites. As a Radiation Effects Engineer focused on modeling and theory, you will own the analytical definition of our spacecraft's radiation and charging environments, transforming physical theory into actionable design constraints. You will serve as an authority on radiation transport, orbital environment propagation, and charging physics. This modeling will help guide our hardware, mechanical, and systems teams in PCB design. Your work will directly define our engineering posture, allowing us to safely navigate geostationary orbit (GEO) and other space environments.
Role
- Own the analytical model of the geostationary (GEO) radiation environment, modeling trapped particle populations (AP8/AP9, AE8/AE9), solar proton fluences (Sapphire), and galactic cosmic rays (CREME96)
- Perform high-fidelity 3D Monte Carlo and sector-analysis radiation transport simulations using FASTRAD against complex spacecraft CAD assemblies to generate local, component-level dose-depth curves
- Lead analytical studies on spacecraft charging, including surface charging (using NASCAP-2k or SPIS-SC) and internal charging (using FASTRAD internal charging calculations or SPIS-IC) to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) risks
- Develop, scale, and maintain Python-based pipelines to process, analyze, and visualize transport simulation datasets, automating the generation of spacecraft-wide dose budgets
- Translate complex simulation data into actionable engineering guidance for shielding allocation, material selection, and electrical grounding architectures
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.
- 2+ years of industry experience using radiation environment tools such as OMERE or SPENVIS and transport tools such as FASTRAD, Geant4, or MCNP
- Solid theoretical foundation in radiation interaction with matter, including ionization, non-ionizing energy loss, charge deposition, and secondary bremsstrahlung generation
- Experience modeling spacecraft charging physics and electric field buildup in dielectrics
- Proficiency in Python for mathematical post-processing, data scraping, and modeling automation
- High-degree of ownership and technical depth; ability to evaluate complex system trade-offs with sparse initial data
Bonus
- Master of Science or PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Physics, or equivalent with a research focus on space radiation environments or spacecraft charging phenomena
- Deep knowledge of deep dielectric charging failure mechanisms (ECEMP) and industry standard mitigations (grounding straps, conductive coatings, slot-venting geometries)
- Familiarity with the ISO 11221 spacecraft charging standard or MIL-STD-883 Test Method 1019
Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.
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