Wardstone is building the next generation of space-based missile defense. We design and deploy autonomous orbital interceptors capable of defeating hypersonic and ballistic threats, a capability the U.S. and its allies urgently need but that no one has yet delivered.

At Wardstone, you will build hardware that gets tested constantly and pushed to its limits, from US Air Force assisted ground experiments to supersonic ground launched platforms to future orbital prototypes. You’ll work on systems that combine advanced sensing, guidance, high-energy physics, and spaceflight in ways few organizations on Earth attempt.

We are a small, elite engineering team moving fast to solve problems of national importance. Every engineer has massive ownership, rapid iteration cycles, and a direct impact on the direction of the company and the defense of millions of people.

If you want to work at the intersection of space, autonomy, and national security, you should join Wardstone.

Wardstone is a space defense-tech startup building next-generation systems to protect the United States and its allies from advanced missile threats. We design, build, and test both ground and space-based hardware.

We’re looking for engineering interns from top schools who want to work on real world systems from concept to testing.

What You’ll Work On

Depending on your background and interests, you may work on:

• Physics-based simulation and modeling (orbital mechanics, intercept dynamics, guidance & control)
• Hardware prototyping and testing (mechanical, electrical, propulsion, sensing)
• Embedded software, controls, or autonomy
• Sensor systems (IR / EO), perception, and tracking
• Data analysis from test campaigns
• System-level trade studies and design reviews

Interns are treated as engineers. Your work will directly with founders and full-time engineers, influence flight hardware, simulations, and participate in field tests.

Who We’re Looking For

• Currently pursuing a degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field
  (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Robotics, Computer Science, Physics)
• Demonstrated delivery on previous extracurricular engineering projects
• Curious, self-directed, and motivated by real-world impact
• MATLAB or Python for modelling and data analytics
• US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED

Bonus points for experience with:

• Controls, GNC, or orbital mechanics
• Embedded systems or hardware bring-up
• IR sensors, computer vision, or signal processing
• Hands-on lab, shop, or field testing experience

Why Wardstone

• Work on problems that matter at the national security level
• Direct mentorship from founders and full time engineers
• Exposure to the full engineering lifecycle from concept to testing
• Fast pace, high ownership, minimal bureaucracy
• Competitive compensation for interns

Our first product, Hailstorm, integrates multiple advanced technologies:

• VLEO satellite interceptors with high maneuverability and rapid response times.
• Infrared sensing and real-time perception, enabling autonomous target detection and tracking.
• High-impulse propulsion and high-energy dispersal systems capable of generating millisecond-scale accelerations.
• Advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) for midcourse correction and terminal homing.
• Physics-driven simulation environments modeling orbital mechanics, missile trajectories, thermal loads, and pellet-cloud dynamics.
• Kinetic particle-cloud intercept architecture that provides a cost-effective, scalable alternative to traditional hit-to-kill missile systems.