GNC Engineer, ADCS; Starlink

Space

X was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today Space

X is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

Space

X is looking for engineers with backgrounds in orbital mechanics, control theory, state estimation, spacecraft systems design, optimization, physics, and software development to join the Starlink guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) team. Come help us write the autopilot algorithms for thousands of satellites (the world's largest constellation!) and more than two million user terminals, enabling access to high-speed broadband internet in all corners of the world.

As a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) engineer on Starlink’s attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) team, you will be responsible for the software automation, operations, and system level design which keeps the satellites and their payloads properly oriented for the entire mission lifetime.

• Develop highly reliable and performant GNC algorithms, simulations, tools, services, and dashboards using C++ or Python;
  Starlink GNC Engineers write actual production code, not just prototypes for transcription by another team
• Participate in architecture, design, and code reviews
• Bulk data analysis to review performance data from various elements of the Starlink constellation and network
• Write high quality technical documentation of programs, algorithms, or analysis
• Design and implementation of GNC software that can facilitate all mission concepts of operations across all phases of mission, including off-nominal/contingency scenarios
• Design of concepts of operations (CONOPs) that intelligently balance thermal constraints, power budgets, momentum management, communications, and payload-pointing needs
• Design, development, and flight software implementation of onboard GNC algorithms to achieve a high level of vehicle autonomy and fault tolerance while providing adequate translational and rotational navigation and control performance
• Update and maintain GNC software configurations for a variety of minor vehicle design revisions and mission sets
• High fidelity time domain 6
  
  DOF modeling and simulation of vehicle dynamics, sensors, actuators, algorithms, and all of their interactions
• Monte Carlo simulation analysis to validate safe and reliable flight and quantify navigation and control performance
• Heavy involvement in hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing efforts, including but not limited to test case design, data review automation, and modeling fidelity improvements
• Translational and Rotational state estimation and control systems design and optimization
• Vehicle design activities related to ADCS sensor and actuator hardware sizing and layout
• Develop, validate, and improve upon complex sensor, actuator, and dynamics models for use in 6
  
  DOF simulation analysis
• Maintain tight interfaces with other disciplines and subsystems (e.g. thermal, power, communications) to ensure a good and consistent system-level design
• Support your relevant on-call operations rotation, commanding satellites or reviewing network data to keep our network continuously operating at peak performance

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, aerospace, physics or an engineering discipline
• Software development experience in either C++ or Python

• Some preferred skills and experience depend on the specific team within Starlink GNC.
• Master's degree or PhD in an engineering discipline or physics
• Developed, debugged and deployed software that has been used in real world applications/projects
• Creative approach to problem solving, exceptional analytical skills and engineering fundamentals
• Cradle to grave development of three axis stabilized spacecraft incorporating momentum, magnetic, and propulsive control
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics, including low thrust trajectory optimization and station keeping
• Experience in verifying GNC algorithm performance via simulation, and validation of the simulation's models
• Experience with state estimation,…