Mission Engineer (Communications Systems)

ispace is looking for mission engineer to join our growing team in Tokyo.

Candidate will support the development of spacecraft communication systems for lunar and deep-space exploration missions. The engineer will be responsible for communication subsystem design, analysis, integration coordination, and mission support activities across various mission phases including concept development, system definition, integration, testing, launch, and mission operations.

This role requires close collaboration with multidisciplinary engineering teams including systems engineering, avionics, power, thermal, GNC, mission operations, and payload teams to ensure reliable end-to-end communication capability between space and ground assets.

The position is part of the Mission Management organization and contributes directly to mission success through communication architecture development, technical coordination, and subsystem performance verification.

If you have;

• Strong systems engineering mindset with attention to mission-level impacts.
• Ability to manage technical coordination across multiple stakeholders.
• Proactive problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Adaptability within fast-paced development environments.
• Passion for space exploration and advanced space systems development.

Be a part of our growing team to the moon!

Key responsibilities

• upport development of spacecraft communication subsystem architectures for lunar landers, rovers, orbiters, and related mission systems.
• Perform communication system trade studies including frequency selection, antenna configurations, modulation schemes, coding methods, and redundancy concepts.
• Develop and maintain RF link budgets for spacecraft-to-ground and inter-system communication scenarios.
• Define subsystem technical requirements, operational concepts, and interface definitions with spacecraft and ground systems.
• Coordinate communication subsystem activities across internal engineering teams and external suppliers.
• Support communication subsystem integration, verification, validation, and troubleshooting activities during spacecraft assembly and test campaigns.
• Support mission operations preparation including communication pass analysis, operational constraints, and contingency planning.
• Contribute to anomaly investigations, technical reviews, and mission readiness activities.
• Develop engineering analysis tools and scripts for communication performance assessment and subsystem evaluation.
• Maintain technical documentation including specifications, ICDs, analysis reports, verification plans, and operational procedures.

Required skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, or related technical field.
• Experience in RF communication systems, satellite communications, or spacecraft subsystem engineering.
• Understanding of communication subsystem fundamentals including antennas, RF systems, modulation, coding, and link analysis.
• Experience performing communication link budget analysis.
• Familiarity with engineering analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, STK, or equivalent.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong communication and technical documentation skills in English. Business fluency for non-Japanese candidate.

Preferred skills

• Experience with lunar, deep-space, or small satellite missions.
• Knowledge of CCSDS standards and space communication protocols.
• Experience with S-band, X-band, Ka-band, or optical communication systems.
• Familiarity with spacecraft integration and environmental test activities.
• Experience with mission operations or ground segment coordination.
• Knowledge of MBSE methodologies and system engineering processes.
• Japanese language capability is a plus.