Autonomous Trajectory & Mission Planning Engineer

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.

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against a diverse and dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities.

As a core component of EED, the Emerging Missions Flight Dynamics (EMFD) Department provides flight mechanics expertise for the cislunar domain, multi-objective “traveling salesman” trajectory sequence generation, facility location optimization, and trans-atmospheric flight design for missiles, hyperglide vehicles, and reentry vehicles. Relevant skills include orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, trajectory design and optimization, sequential decision making, and atmospheric flight modeling and simulation. The selected candidate will provide expertise for a wide range of customer flight mechanics needs, supporting analysis, research, and development requests.

The work will require candidates to provide deep technical solutions while also collaborating with engineering partners to facilitate integrated solutions for our customers’ hardest problems. Customers will include defense, intelligence, and civil and commercial organizations.

Work Model

• This position will be a hybrid work model based in Colorado Springs, CO;
  El Segundo, CA;
  Chantilly, VA; or Albuquerque, NM with the expectation that the selected candidate will work at least 4 days a week onsite, as the business needs allow.

What You’ll Be Doing Primary Support

• Astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation, constellation design and optimization, and maneuver design and optimization for orbit transfer, station keeping, graveyard, disposal, and reentry events
• Analysis of combinatorial optimization / sequential decision-making problems, such as the Traveling Salesman Problem, Facility Location Problem, Markov Decision Processes, etc.
• Analysis of multi-objective optimization problems leveraging metaheuristic (ex: Genetic Algorithms), mathematical programming, deterministic, and optimal control methods
• Create, augment, and leverage flight mechanics centric C++/Python software capabilities as stand-alone tools and ready-to-integrate submodules
• Leveraging external tools like Sci Py, ASSET, GPOPS-II, SNOPT, POST, OTIS, Copernicus, GMAT, EMTG, etc. where appropriate to augment internally developed capabilities
• Evaluate contested missions’ applications for space systems to understand threat performance, assess vulnerabilities, and improve system resiliency
• Developing Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), exploring Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), and incorporating operational constraints into the design and maturation of space and near-space systems

Additional inter-department partnership collaborations opportunities:

• Maneuver and orbit design, selection, and optimization for missions that support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) objectives with complex operational constraints
• Cislunar and exploration-class orbital…