Staff Engineer - GNC​/ADCSNew

Company Overview

IonQ, Inc is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. The company’s latest generation, the IonQ Tempo, delivers cutting‑edge systems that have helped customers such as Amazon Web Services and AstraZeneca achieve 20× performance results and accelerate innovation across a wide range of fields. In 2025, IonQ achieved 99.99% two‑qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ operates globally, with offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Capella, an IonQ company, spans national security, advanced sensing, and next‑generation compute to deliver secure, mission‑ready intelligence. Capella’s culture is built on collaboration, rigorous engineering, and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthen global stability and security.

Capella values curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to tackle hard problems with precision and creativity. Diverse perspectives are welcomed and encouraged; no prior space experience is required.

Louisville, Colorado office (option to work two days a week remotely). Up to 5% domestic or international travel.

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As a Staff Guidance, Navigation, and Controls (GNC) Engineer, you will be responsible for the full lifecycle of the Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) and Propulsion subsystems for a constellation of radar imaging spacecraft and future quantum space missions. You will serve as the cognizant engineer for GNC hardware and software, ensuring existing spacecraft meet mission objectives and designing next‑generation systems.

Your work will directly impact spacecraft performance and the overall technical success of Capella.

This role sits in the Spacecraft Engineering organization, working alongside systems, thermal, electrical, harnessing, mechanical, deployables, radar, communications, and flight software engineers.

• Drive the full lifecycle for ADCS and Propulsion systems supporting a constellation of spacecraft: design, build, test, on‑orbit operations, and decommissioning.
• Generate and own ADCS and Propulsion systems performance requirements to satisfy high‑level mission objectives.
• Lead research and development for new spacecraft subsystems, conducting complex trade studies, system sizing and design, and presenting at program‑level design reviews.
• Design and implement state estimators and control algorithms for localization and pointing of cutting‑edge quantum missions and radar‑imaging spacecraft.
• Develop custom software tools to automate engineering workflows, support design studies, and enhance spacecraft on‑orbit operational efficiency.
• Build high‑fidelity software simulations to model spacecraft dynamics and system behavior.
• Act as a subject matter expert for all things ADCS and Propulsion.
• Serve as the technical contact for external ADCS and Propulsion vendors and partners, keeping informed of the broader industry landscape.
• Occasional travel may be required.

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience with GNC, ADCS, or control systems on spacecraft, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or UAVs/drones.
• Solid understanding of state estimation/filtering and applications.
• Solid understanding of rigid‑body and flexible dynamics.
• Demonstrated leadership of hardware development projects.
• Familiarity with orbital dynamics and the low‑Earth orbit (LEO) space environment.
• Familiarity with a scripting language such as Python or MATLAB.
• Citizenship or legal residency status as required by U.S. export‑control regulations (citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. or eligible for required authorizations).

• Familiarity with GNC/ADCS hardware: star trackers, sun sensors, reaction wheels, torque rods, control moment gyroscopes, propulsion systems, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, GPS, etc.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink,…