GNC Engineer, Starlink Controls (Starlink)

The role

You will design, analyze, and implement electromechanical control systems, satellite attitude control, and fluid and power system controls. This role involves vehicle design trades, simulation, flight code implementation, and deploying features in space.

What you will do

• Design, analysis, implementation of electromechanical control systems such as solar array actuators, antenna gimbals, and high bandwidth active optics.
• Design, analysis, implementation of satellite attitude control and momentum management systems.
• Design, analysis, implementation of fluid and power system controls for the Starlink hall thrusters.
• Optimal state estimation as applied to mechanical alignment and attitude determination.
• Hardware performance specification and sizing, support for hardware iteration and firmware bringup, design qualification, automated production screening, and performance monitoring in the fleet.
• Development and maintenance of high fidelity simulations using C++, python, matlab.
• Implementation, validation, unit testing, and deployment of production software (C++).
• Provide engineering and data review support for hardware development and network level performance monitoring.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, physics or an engineering discipline.
• Software development experience in C++.
• Experience with design and analysis of closed loop control systems.
• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Nice to have

• Master's degree or PhD in physics or an engineering discipline.
• Very strong expertise and demonstrated project or professional experience in linear closed loop controls analysis and design, including state space and frequency domain methods.
• Experience with flexible body dynamics and reduced finite element models thereof in the context of closed loop control systems analysis.
• Expertise in state estimation, kalman filters, information filters, etc.
• Strong expertise in embedded C++, ideally in the context of electromechanical control systems firmware.
• Strong understanding of classical rigid body dynamics, orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation thereof.
• Direct experience with spacecraft operations and flight software development, testing, and deployment.
• Capable of identifying and solving complex problems in a self-directed manner.
• Passion for advancing the commercial space industry.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere.

Benefits

• Company stock or long-term cash awards
• Potential discretionary bonuses
• Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• 3 weeks of paid vacation
• 10 or more paid holidays per year
• Paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law
• Company shuttles from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday

Before you apply

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, o

About the company

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. They are deploying Starlink, the world's largest satellite constellation, providing broadband internet to 10M+ users worldwide.