GNC Spacecraft Engineer

Who We Are: 

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominate transportation mode - horse drawn chariots, ocean going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth. 

What You’ll Do: 

Our spacecraft GNC engineer will slot into a small GNC team and own responsibility for architecting, designing, and developing the on orbit ADCS system for our Arc reentry vehicle. This begins with blank sheet development of requirements and capabilities for the vehicle’s performance while it operates on orbit and continues into component selection, algorithm development, and testing. You will be faced with the unique challenge of designing a vehicle that must act like a spacecraft on orbit while still maintaining the capabilities of a highly maneuverable reentry vehicle. When done correctly, this design will optimize over both interfaces and create a vehicle unlike any that has been built.  

Required Qualifications: 

• Familiar with spacecraft GNC algorithms for pointing, maneuvering, and orbital transfers. 
• Experience with spacecraft specific sensors and actuators (reaction wheels, magnetorquers, star trackers or IMUs) 
• Proficient with MATLAB 
• Familiar with C/C++ or Python 
• 2+ years of applicable experience 
• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in computer science, physics, aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience 
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment. Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Completed master’s degree or higher education 
• Strong skills in astrodynamics and orbit design
• Strong software design skills
• Experience with:
  • Verification and validation of GNC
  • Constellation design
  • Spacecraft Operations
  • Rendezvous and proximity operations
  • Flex and slosh 

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $100,000-150,000.  Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.