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Logan, UT

Internship

Hybrid

$20.91/hr - $56.97/hr

Intern

Viasat is a global communications company focused on delivering connections that change the world. They are looking for a Mission Optimization Specialist Intern to work on algorithms and software for autonomous decision-making and mission scheduling, integrating constraints and improving optimization solutions.

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Responsibilities

Review and understand the existing optimization algorithm (e.g., an Integer Linear Programming solution) and the associated objective function
Integrate the unique constraints and parameters provided by the Spacecraft Operations and Payload Specialist Interns into the mathematical formulation and software implementation. This includes constraints for GEO/DTE links and imagery collection
Run experiments to tune the optimization solver parameters to improve runtime efficiency and solution quality for the expanded problem space
Develop test cases to stress-test the autonomy system, ensuring it can handle conflicting mission requests and resource limitations effectively
Benchmark the performance of the updated autonomous planning system against current, non-optimized manual planning techniques

Qualification

Required

Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or a related field
Final graduation date must fall between December 2026 and August 2027
Must be available part time from January through May/June and then full time for the full duration of the summer internship program
This position requires U.S. citizenship
Coursework or project experience in Optimization techniques (e.g., MILP, graph algorithms, search heuristics)
Strong MATLAB programming skills (or other similar language C++ or Python) and experience with an optimization solver (e.g., Gurobi, CPLEX, or open-source equivalents)
Ability to translate complex operational constraints into formal mathematical models

Preferred

Experience with implementing novel optimization techniques from scientific journals
Understanding of objective functions and constraints that apply to satellite missions and constellations

Benefits

Housing and relocation assistance are available to interns pending eligibility.
Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered.

Viasat is a global communications company that offers satellite services.

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