Space Domain Awareness Technical Fellow

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators.

Join us and take your place in space.

As orbital populations grow exponentially, the global space community needs visionary technical leaders to ensure all operators can see, understand, and act with situational awareness and decision advantage.

The Mission Operations Subdivisionwithin the Enterprise Effects Division is creating a Technical Fellow position for Space Domain Awareness (SDA),a rare opportunity to drive national strategy and technical innovation.

You’llwork directly with defense, civil, and commercial operators, and the intelligence community(IC) to architect sensor networks, data fusion systems, and space traffic management capabilities for an increasingly congested,contested,and competitive domain.

From Low Earth Orbit to cislunar space, operators face challenges from conjunction avoidance and debris mitigation to on-orbit servicing and potential threats. This Technical Fellow will:

• Drive next-generation SDA system architectures spanning ground and space-based sensors (radar, optical, infrared, passive RF)

• Pioneer AI/ML integration for automated tracking, anomaly detection, pattern-of-life analysis, and support to space battle management

• Shape corporate investment in emerging SDA technologies with Aerospace’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer

• Expand mission reach into cislunar andbeyond GEOdomain awareness

• Mentor the next generation of SDA experts across sensors, data fusion, orbital mechanics, and object characterization

• Bridge defense, intelligence, civil, commercial, and international communities to accelerate the delivery of solutions

• Partner with senior government, military, civil,allied,and commercial leaders on critical SDA challenges

• Lead integrated architectures fusing multi-source data into actionable decision support

• Advance space traffic management, collision avoidance, anomaly assessment, and space sustainability capabilities

• Position Aerospace as the technical leader in SDA

• Develop technical talent across national security, civil,allied,and commercial programs

Full-time position based inEl Segundo, CA;
Colorado Springs, CO; or Chantilly, VA. This role includes four or more days per week on site to enable deep customer engagement and team collaboration.

• Partner with customers and operators to develop innovative SDA architectures addressing emerging challenges

• Engage commercial SDA providers and civil agencies to align technical approaches and data standards

• Position Aerospace as the premier SDA technical authority, pioneering cislunar and deep space awareness

• Advise executives on technical investments and R&D priorities across defense, civil, and commercial applications

• Serve as technical authority on SDA systems, leading sensor architectures, data fusion systems, and command and control capabilities

• Drive AI/ML applications transforming SDA operations from automated tracking to predictive orbit determination

• Integrate SDA with space operations,intelligence,sustainability,andcyber

• Advance frameworks for data sharing and collaboration across government, commercial, and international networks

• Mentor staff in sensor phenomenology, data fusion, orbital mechanics, and object characterization

• Advise on succession planning and workforce development for expanding SDA missions

• Build multi-disciplinary teams spanning sensors, data processing, astrodynamics, and analytics

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM, Engineering, Physics, or related field

• 15+ years in SDA, space…