Flight Dynamics 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 divisionleveragesa broad array of engineering disciplines against a 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 corecomponentof EED, the Earth Orbit Flight Dynamics Department (EOFDD) providesflight mechanicsexpertisefor launch vehicles and space vehicles.

Relevant skills include orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, trajectory design and optimization, and atmospheric flight modeling and simulation.

We are looking for a Member of the Technical Staff/Senior Member of the Technical Staff to join the EOFDD team. The selected candidate willprovideexpertisefor a wide range of customer flight mechanics needs,supporting both analysis and research and development requests. The work will require candidates to provide deep technical solutions while also collaborating with engineering partners tofacilitateintegrated solutions for our customers’ hardest problems.

Customers will includedefense, intelligence, and civil and commercial organizations.

• This position will be a hybrid work model based in El Segundo, CA, Colorado Springs, CO, Chantilly, VA, or Albuquerque, NM, with the expectation that the selected candidate will workat least4days a week onsite, as the business needs allow.

Primary Support

• Trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles and spacecraft for missionsoperatingin LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO, and other earth-centric regimes

• Astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation and maneuver design and optimization for orbit transfer,station keeping, graveyard, disposal, and reentry events

• Analysis of vehicles with chemical and/or electric propulsion

• Evaluating contested mission applications for space systems to understand threat performance, assess vulnerabilities, and improve system resiliency

• Exploring and defining the evolving Dynamic Space Operations (DSO) mission area

• Maneuver and orbit design,selection, and optimization for missions that support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) objectives with complex operational constraints

• Developing Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), exploring Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), and incorporating operational constraints into the design and maturation of space systems

• Providing operational support for nominal launch and spacecraft deployment and transfer sequences, anomaly resolution, and on-call emerging events

• Utilizingoptimalcontrol, flight mechanics, and computer science/algorithm development skills to create new capabilities to service customer requests as stand-alone services and/or ready-to-integrate submodules

• Combining AI/ML/RL techniques with flight mechanics modeling for assessing complex analysis and decision-making trade spaces

• Performing research and development and building new flight dynamics tools to cultivate andmaintaina healthy and modern internal tool base

• Leveraging external tools like ASSET, GPOPS-II,…