Spacecraft GNC Engineer III

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond.

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

ABOUT 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.

SUMMARYAs a Spacecraft GNC Engineer at Firefly, you will design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems of operational spacecraft. In this role, you will develop GNC flight and simulation software, perform analyses, and support mission operations while continuing to build breadth across core GNC competencies. This position offers hands-on experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control systems, onboard navigation, sensor and actuator modeling, and real-time mission operations across multiple spacecraft.

You will deepen your technical capabilities and refine your desired career trajectory, taking ownership of system elements and software tools as you grow toward a senior GNC role PONSIBILITIESDevelop and validate GNC software to ensure successful spacecraft mission execution

Tune and configure GNC algorithms for all phases of spacecraft flight

Perform 6

DOF simulation analysis of nominal and dispersed flight profiles

Develop and maintain simulation models for sensors, actuators, and environmental effects

Create tools to automate workflows, process simulation and flight data, and generate technical reports

Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of GNC under nominal and off-nominal conditions

Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate GNC software with spacecraft hardware

Serve as a GNC console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post-mission analysis to improve spacecraft models

Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate GNC concepts and results to diverse audiences

Build proficiency across core GNC competencies while contributing to continuous improvement of GNC processes and toolsQUALIFICATIONSRequired

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or related field4-8 years of professional experience in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control, or related technical discipline

Advanced knowledge of spacecraft orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics, state estimation, attitude dynamics, and sensor modeling

Experience developing high-fidelity sensor and actuator models

Proficiency in a specialization of spacecraft GNC:
Navigation, Guidance, Controls, Software Development Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for mission-critical systems

Proficiency with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization

Experience with C++ for real-time or…