Payload Integration and testing Intern

Orbital safety and sustainability. With expertise in space-based detection, tracking, identification, and monitoring, Digantara provides comprehensive domain awareness across regimes, allowing end users to have actionable intelligence on a single platform. At the core of its infrastructure lies a sophisticated integration of hardware and software capabilities aligned with the key principles of situational awareness: perception (data collection), comprehension (data processing), and prediction (analytics). This holistic approach empowers Digantara to monitor all Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in orbit, fostering comprehensive domain awareness.

Digantara is seeking an Imaging Payload Integration Intern to plan field trails for imaging payloads and process the acquired images. The intern will define the payload electronics system architecture, including power, data interfaces and embedded image-acquisition software, and plan the trial campaign from bench tests through to flight.

• Competitive incentives, galvanizing workspace, blazing team, frequent outings—pretty much everything you have heard about a startup + you get to work on space technology.

• Hustle in a well-funded startup allowing you to take charge of your responsibilities and create your moonshot.

Ideal Candidate:

A candidate with a background in electronics and embedded software who enjoys building hardware and carrying out field trials under various scenarios.

• Plan the system architecture for an imaging payload on a platform: camera and optics, on-board computer etc

• Define data interfaces between multiple systems.

• Develop embedded software for image acquisition and on-board processing.

• Plan imaging trials, with procedures, checklists and success criteria. Carry out image acquisition during trials and process the images: dark and flat-field correction etc.

• Document the architecture, interface definitions, trial plans and trial reports.

• Pursuing B.Tech/B.E or M.Tech/M.E/M.S in Electronics, ECE, EEE, Instrumentation, Embedded Systems or a related discipline.

• Understanding of image acquisition and imaging sensors.

• Embedded software development in C/C++ and Python on Linux-based boards.

• Knowledge of powering electronics: power budgets, linear and switching regulators, batteries, grounding and protection circuits.

• Familiarity with data interfaces: UART/RS-422, SPI, I2C, USB, Ethernet and camera interfaces.

• Basics of digital image processing with OpenCV or similar tools.

• Hands-on experience with drones, high-altitude balloons, CubeSats or rocketry projects.

• Experience with camera pipelines using V4L2, libcamera, GStreamer or machine-vision SDKs (GenICam/USB3 Vision/GigE Vision).

• Exposure to GNSS and IMU integration, PPS time synchronisation and geo-referencing of images.

• Familiarity with radio telemetry links and link budgets.

• PCB design (KiCad/Altium) and use of lab instruments such as oscilloscopes, power analysers and thermal chambers.

• Ability to work in a mission-focused, operational environment.

• Ability to think critically and make independent decisions.

• Interpersonal skills to enable working in a diverse and dynamic team.

• Writing and delivering technical documents and briefings.

• Verbal and written communication skills as well as organisational skills.

• Willingness to travel to trial sites and work outdoors during field campaigns.