GNC Engineer - Trajectory Design and Guidance Engineer

The role

You will drive the spacecraft orbital and guidance systems including low thrust trajectory optimization and mission planning. You will develop trajectory optimization tooling, design core GNC algorithms, and support on orbit operations.

What you will do

• Collaborate with other engineers to develop a novel high level vehicle mission plan
• Develop novel algorithms for precise OD and station-keeping of very large structures in earth orbit and beyond
• Design the low thrust trajectory for the vehicle to reach MEO, GEO, Cis-Lunar, and Mars
• Develop simulation and modeling tools to support vehicle and GNC trade studies
• Shape the future of the GNC team by recruiting, interviewing, and mentoring the engineers

Required qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in aerospace, electrical, or mechanical engineering, physics, or a related field
• 2+ years of experience in low-thrust trajectory design
• Hands-on work with precise orbit determination
• Track record implementing orbit guidance and control algorithms on a spacecraft
• Mission design expertise for both Earth-centric and interplanetary missions
• Proficiency in Python, Julia, C/C++, or Rust for algorithm development, implementation, and simulation

Nice to have

• Early-stage spacecraft conceptual design (“clean sheet” design work)
• Low-thrust station-keeping algorithm development
• Thruster sizing and algorithm implementation
• Contributions to developing a satellite constellation
• On-orbit satellite operations
• 6-DOF simulation development

Benefits

• Paid time off
• Medical/dental/vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Many other perks

Before you apply

• Must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license

About the company

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown for missions from LEO to deep space. The company is mass-producing high-power satellite platforms and has over $1 billion in signed contracts.