Principal GNC Engineer

SPACE SYSTEMS

This is a rare opportunity to play a key role in Rocket Lab’s evolution into an end-to-end space company that delivers launch, spacecraft, and on-orbit operations. The Space Systems Division is shaping Rocket Lab’s future with Photon, our brand of high-performance satellites, enabling innovative missions in low Earth orbit and beyond including missions for NASA to LEO, the Moon, and Mars and commercial customers, including leading the design and manufacture of 17 high-power telecommunication spacecraft buses for Globalstar.

Rocket Lab is also growing our spacecraft components business, anchored on the acquisition of Sinclair Interplanetary manufacturing reaction wheels and star trackers in Toronto, SolAero Technologies manufacturing solar power and primary structure solutions in Albuquerque, Planetary Systems Corporation manufacturing launch separation systems in Silver Spring, and Advanced Solutions, Inc., provider of flight and ground software as a service in Denver. Our components business is key to vertically integrating our spacecraft solutions and enabling constellations for customers.

PRINCIPAL GNC ENGINEER

Based out of Rocket Lab's ASI office in Littleton CO the GNC Engineer must demonstrate a firm grasp of spacecraft GNC concepts and applications. Work to include all facets of the engineering life cycle: spacecraft concept and algorithm development, flight software implementation, subsystem requirements development, detailed GNC design, subsystem integration & test (I&T), and vehicle I&T. You will support the Space Systems Software organization to execute leading edge programs and products. 

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:

• GNC design, modeling, and analysis for a wide variety of spacecraft and space missions to include LEO, MEO, GEO, Lunar, Interplanetary, Reentry, and RPOD.
• Design of flight software, algorithms, and simulation product
• Development of spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management
• GNC component selection and GNC subsystem design
• Test process development and execution
• Define fault detection and response
• Hardware-in-the-loop and monte carlo simulation
• Integration of flight and simulation software with modern analysis, test, and operations tools
• Support internal and external design reviews

YOU’LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, aerospace engineering or similar technical discipline
• 12+ years’ experience with C++ or similar object-oriented programming language
• 12+ years of aerospace design/development experience or similar
• Knowledge of GNC sensors and actuators
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or similar
• Proficiency in C++ or similar object-oriented programming language

THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:

• Advanced degree in computer science, aerospace engineering or similar technical discipline
• Experience with the following:
  • STK or other space mission analysis tools
  • C++
  • Orbital Dynamics
  • Atmospheric Flight
  • Spacecraft operations
  • Spacecraft manufacturing
  • Rendezvous, proximity ops, and docking (RPOD)
  • Entry, decent, and landing
  • Lunar or Interplanetary missions
  • Atmospheric GNC
  • Flex, slosh, and multi-body modeling
  • State space and frequency domain analysis
  • STK, ODTK, Astrogator, or similar space mission analysis tools
  • Spacecraft operations
  • Spacecraft manufacturing