Flight Dynamics Engineer III; Trajectory), Spacecraft

Career Opportunities with Firefly Aerospace

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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.

As a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer specializing in trajectory and maneuver design at Firefly Aerospace, you will design and optimize spacecraft trajectories and maneuver sequences for operational missions spanning LEO and cislunar space. In this role, you will develop targeting algorithms, create error budgets, and serve as a flight dynamics operator while collaborating with cross‑functional teams to translate mission designs into executable operations.

This position combines advanced mission design with hands‑on operational support while mentoring junior engineers in a fast‑paced, mission‑critical environment.

• Optimize spacecraft trajectories to satisfy mission requirements while balancing delta‑V budgets, mission duration, and payload constraints
• Design and maintain mission designs from the conceptual phase through the end of spacecraft mission operations
• Develop algorithms to target maneuvers that achieve spacecraft mission objectives
• Create maneuver error budgets and perform sensitivity analysis to assess robustness to execution uncertainties
• Formulate and analyze contingency maneuver plans and abort scenarios for off‑nominal conditions
• Interface with cross‑discipline teams to translate maneuver plans into executable command sequences and operational procedures
• Serve as a flight dynamics operator for spacecraft missions and perform maneuver reconstruction to improve spacecraft models
• Perform verification and validation of flight dynamics models and software using analytical solutions, benchmarks, flight data, and unit tests
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate flight dynamics concepts and results to diverse audiences

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field
• 5-8 years of experience in spacecraft flight dynamics with significant depth in mission design or maneuver planning
• Experience supporting operational spacecraft missions through multiple mission phases
• Advanced understanding of orbital mechanics theory and applications
• Understanding of spacecraft attitude control and its impact on maneuver execution accuracy
• Strong understanding of targeting and optimization methods
• Knowledge of estimation theory and uncertainty modeling
• Experience in software development and modeling/simulation for spaceflight applications
• Working knowledge of Python and Linux
• Proficiency with one or more commercial trajectory design software tools (STK, Free Flyer, GMAT, or similar)
• Advanced degree (master's or PhD) in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field
• Expert-level proficiency in STK for spacecraft trajectory design
• Python proficiency and experience with JPL's MONTE software suite
• Software engineering expertise including skills in version control (Git), code review, automated testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows
• Comprehensive knowledge of…