ADCS Engineer III (Controls), Elytra

Firefly Aerospace Senior ADCS Engineer

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing.

Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

• Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude control software to ensure accurate pointing across all mission phases
• Implement control techniques for critical mission phases using reaction wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torque rods, and thruster systems
• Develop control systems accounting for complex spacecraft dynamics including structural flex modes, propellant slosh, gimbal dynamics, and control structure interaction
• Establish technical standards and validation methodologies for control system design, software development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and performance optimization for control systems under nominal and off-nominal conditions
• Support hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns for integrated ADCS systems including control algorithm validation, flight software verification, and system-level performance testing
• Drive resolution of complex ADCS challenges requiring deep technical expertise and rapid problem-solving
• Provide technical direction on system architecture and serve as subject matter expert for spacecraft control
• Mentor junior engineers in control theory and flight software development
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate ADCS concepts and results to diverse audiences
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate control software with spacecraft hardware
• Serve as an ADCS console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post-mission analysis to improve spacecraft models
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives for ADCS processes, tools, and operational efficiency

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field
• 5-10 years of experience in spacecraft ADCS systems with significant depth in attitude control system design or flight software development
• Advanced knowledge of attitude dynamics and control theory, including rotational dynamics, attitude representations, control moment generation, and stability analysis
• Strong understanding of classical control theory and frequency domain analysis techniques
• Expertise in real-time software development using C++ for mission-critical applications
• Experience developing high-fidelity actuator models and attitude control system testbeds
• Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for mission-critical systems
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
• Excellent communication and presentation skills

• Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or related field
• Experience architecting and implementing control systems for operational spacecraft from development through mission operations
• Expertise in advanced control techniques such as nonlinear control methods, optimal control, model predictive control, or adaptive control applied to spacecraft applications
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft actuator systems including reaction wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torque rods, and thruster systems
• Advanced knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis
• Advanced knowledge of numerical methods for control law tuning, root-solving, and parameter optimization
• Experience with modern flight software frameworks and real-time operating systems
• Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control,…