Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product, MITHRIL, is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into a single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.
About the JobWe are looking for a motivated Robotics Engineer Intern to support our team in bringing an existing robotic grasping system back online and driving forward its development. This role offers hands-on experience with a complete perception-to-manipulation pipeline, including stereo vision, ArUco marker detection, and 6-DoF robotic arm control. This is a unique opportunity to contribute directly to a working physical system with real autonomy challenges.
What You’ll Do- Take ownership of an existing end-to-end robotic grasping system and bring it back to a fully operational state following a period of paused development.
- Assess and implement necessary configuration updates arising from changes to the end effector setup.
- Refine and stabilise the system, making incremental improvements to simplify the architecture and improve reliability.
- Work with a stereo vision camera mounted on the end effector to detect ArUco markers and guide the arm toward a target grasp pose.
- Collaborate closely with the team to identify and implement further improvements to perception and motion performance
- Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechatronics, or a related field.
- Proficiency in C++ and Python.
- Experience with Linux, preferably in embedded or real-time systems environments.
- Experience with an embedded system project demonstrating the full end-to-end process of developing, deploying, and validating software on physical hardware.
- Strong interest in robotics, particularly robotic manipulation and 6-DoF robotic arm control.
- Enthusiastic self-starter with a practical, hands-on approach to problem-solving.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively within a small, multidisciplinary team.
- Experience with ROS (Robot Operating System).
- Experience with machine vision, computer vision models, marker-based perception systems, or depth perception pipelines.
- Experience with Docker and containerized development environments.
- Experience with 6-DoF robotic manipulators, kinematics, and motion planning.
- Familiarity with robotic perception, grasp planning, manipulation frameworks, or autonomous systems.
- Familiarity with stereo vision cameras, depth sensing technologies, and perception workflows.
- Experience with ArUco or other fiducial marker detection and tracking systems.
- Familiarity with Git and modern version control workflows.
- Vibrant, open-plan office in London
- Be part of a scrappy, dynamic, multidisciplinary, collaborative crew
- Salary of £27,000 Pro Rata
Start Date
- Flexible start date.
- Expected internship length of 2–3 months.
- Timing can be adjusted to accommodate academic schedules and candidate availability.
Important Information:
For security reasons background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of one of the following countries: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, or United States, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.
Skills Required
- Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechatronics, or a related field.
- Proficiency in C++ and Python.
- Experience with Linux, preferably in embedded or real-time systems environments.
- Experience with an embedded system project demonstrating the full end-to-end process of developing, deploying, and validating software on physical hardware.
- Strong interest in robotics, particularly robotic manipulation and 6-DoF robotic arm control.
- Enthusiastic self-starter with a practical, hands-on approach to problem-solving.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively within a small, multidisciplinary team.
- Experience with ROS (Robot Operating System).
- Experience with machine vision, computer vision models, marker-based perception systems, or depth perception pipelines.
- Experience with Docker and containerized development environments.
- Experience with 6-DoF robotic manipulators, kinematics, and motion planning.
- Familiarity with robotic perception, grasp planning, manipulation frameworks, or autonomous systems.
- Familiarity with stereo vision cameras, depth sensing technologies, and perception workflows.
- Experience with ArUco or other fiducial marker detection and tracking systems.
- Familiarity with Git and modern version control workflows.
What We Do
Building the frontline service to safeguard all off-earth operations.
