Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in
Jacksonville, Florida, has an opportunity for a
Laser Engineer - High-Power Fiber Lasers to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid.
Key Responsibilities- Design and develop high-power, near-diffraction-limited (M² < 2) fiber laser sources and amplifiers for space-to-space laser power beaming.
- Define laser architecture and requirements with the senior laser engineer, including wavelength, output power, beam quality, linewidth, polarization, wall-plug and optical efficiency, thermal load, and reliability.
- Model laser and amplifier performance, including rate-equation gain and ASE, thermal effects, nonlinear thresholds (SBS, SRS, SPM), and transverse mode instability (TMI).
- Design and select components for high-power fiber lasers: gain and delivery fibers, pump diodes, pump/signal combiners, cladding light strippers, isolators, end caps, and wavelength combiners.
- Design, assemble, splice, and test high-power fiber lasers; establish characterization of power, spectrum, M², polarization, and stability.
- Develop non-standard sources where needed, such as thulium-doped fiber lasers near 0.8 bcm, Raman fiber lasers, and frequency-doubled visible sources.
- Work with Electrical Engineering (laser-drive power electronics), thermal, and beam-expander teams on diode drivers, heat rejection in vacuum, output collimation, and beam delivery.
- Support the path to space qualification, including radiation-induced attenuation and photodarkening, thermal-vacuum and vibration performance, outgassing, and pump-diode reliability and derating.
- Support technicians in laser build practices, and manage technical relationships with fiber, diode, and component vendors.
Basic Qualifications- Education: Bachelor9s degree in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Experience: 3+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, and testing high-power fiber lasers or amplifiers; candidates with more experience are preferred.
Technical Expertise- Fiber laser and amplifier design, including rate-equation modeling and laser physics.
- High-power fiber laser physics: thermal effects, photodarkening, nonlinear effects (SBS, SRS, SPM), TMI, and their mitigation.
- Design and selection of components for kW-class fiber lasers, including large-mode-area fibers, pump combiners, and cladding light strippers.
- Hands-on fusion splicing of large-mode-area and specialty fibers, and assembly and test of high-power fiber lasers.
- Beam-quality, spectral, and power characterization (M², optical spectrum analyzers, power meters, beam profilers).
- Working knowledge of Class 4 laser safety practices.
Preferred Qualifications- Space Lasers: Design or qualification of space-qualified lasers or amplifiers (strongly preferred).
- Non-Standard Wavelengths: Thulium, Raman, or frequency-doubled fiber sources.
- Power Scaling: Spectral or coherent beam combining, or narrow-linewidth amplifiers.
- Pump Diodes: Diode reliability, derating, and wavelength stabilization.
- Modeling Tools: RP Fiber Power or equivalent commercial or custom fiber laser models.
- Advanced Degrees: Master9s degree or Ph.D. in Physics, Optics, or Laser Engineering.
Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits. 
