MXL is recruiting. Listed below are a few skill sets currently in demand. We’re open to new ideas too – if you love space, are a fast learner, and have a drive to finish what you start, contact us – chances are, we would love to have you on the team!
Here is a caveat, however. If you apply, make sure you’re ready to commit at least 10-15 hours per week – we’ve found that fewer than this makes it difficult to learn and contribute in a meaningful way.
See the Current Projects listed below.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Include your resume and a summary of your skills, a few words on why you’d like to join, and what your specific project interests, and how you can specifically contribute to specific projects.
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Current Projects: (August 2022)
| Sat Ops | We have two operational satellites on orbit that we are actively communicating with and controlling. We perform daily contacts with ground stations in Ann Arbor and around the world. Operators: Command and control satellites through Internet-connected ground stations. Skills: general engineering knowledge with good familiarity with computers, coding desired. Coders: Linux gurus, C masters, and cloud pros needed for development of our operations software, MIDAS. |
| Ground Stations | Ground stations are communication gateways between space and the ground. We have built two, one on FXB and one on CSRB. We’re looking to upgrade these and deploy additional systems. We would like to create a solar powered, Satnogs-compatible tracking station. SDR/RF: Our stations use software defined radios typically running gnuradio. There are several applications we are developing for custom ground station systems and integration into Satnogs. Systems: We are developing a solar powered, remote operated ground station. This involves many multi disciplinary skills and we need a “systems” person to put it all together. |
| Next Gen Cubesats | We’re always looking for ways to improve our satellite system capabilities. Here are a few topics and we’re open to other ideas and suggestions too. Power Systems: Our vehicles are typically powered by solar panels and lithium ion batteries. We are continually evolving and advancing our capabilities. Work includes developing new lithium ion battery packs, more efficient (space and power) regulators, deployable solar panels, testing systems. Flight Computers: Our processors are older tech and we’re looking for more advanced and capable computing systems for our vehicles. Typically we take commercial compute on module and integrate them into custom motherboards. Other Subsystems: We’re open to improvement and development on other systems such as communications (radios), and attitude determination and control but we do not have any active projects at the moment. Let us know if you have ideas. |
| Farside Seismic Suite | We are supporting NASA and JPL’s FSS mission to explore the far side of the moon. We are developing power, computer, and communication subsystems based on the MarCO mission. Communications: We are developing a comm system that interfaces to a TBD lunar relay satellite. The system will be developed by a third party and we will design and integrate the system. Software: We are extending MarCO flight software to support FSS. This requires C-level, MSP430 programming and knowledge of the entire FSS system. |