Astrodynamics Engineer — End-to-End Orbit Optimization & Equity

Space Machines Company; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity (ESOP)

Annual leave + personal/sick days

Public holidays

Job summary

Space Machines Company is seeking an Astrodynamics Engineer to translate orbital theory into robust, online computations. You will drive development from concept through testing, collaborating with Guidance, Navigation and Control and front-end teams to deliver scalable, real-time orbital solutions.

Bring a builder mindset and an iterative approach to design, simulate, and validate algorithms in a fast-growing space-tech environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or Space Engineering.
• 5+ years working with orbital mechanics and delivering complex solutions.
• Strong familiarity with propagation algorithms and tools (GMAT, STK, MATLAB/Simulink).
• Polyglot programming with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Rust, C++, Elixir/Erlang.

Responsibilities

• Identify orbital scenarios for online Command and Control systems.
• Design and test propagation solutions using analytical, numerical, hybrid methods and libraries.
• Determine efficient methods for large orbit changes; document trade-offs.
• Verify and validate proposed solutions for correctness and applicability.
• Integrate solutions with back-end and front-end teams for customers.
• Collaborate with GNC team to ensure compatibility with spacecraft capabilities.
• Stay current with state-of-the-art orbital mechanics and tools.

Skills

Builder mindset

Iterative development

Collaboration

Ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or Space Engineering

Tools

GMAT

STK

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

Rust

C++

Elixir/Erlang

Job description

About Us

Our mission is to safeguard critical space infrastructure by providing the first integrated security platform to see threats, decide fast and respond at scale. Where spacecraft have traditionally been costly, slow to produce and require extensive effort to coordinate, SMC is developing systems that are produced at scale and operated with human-on-the-loop autonomy to drastically reduce the cost and complexity of orbital operations.

As space becomes more congested and contested, the satellites that underpin modern life, including communications, navigation, financial systems, are increasingly exposed. We are developing the vehicles and software to protect them, working with commercial operators and government agencies across allied nations.

Our approach is grounded in economics as much as engineering. The Optimus Viper Rapid Response Vehicle delivers genuine mission capability at a fraction of conventional spacecraft cost, designed for high-volume production and rapid deployment across all orbital regimes. Solstice OS, our AI-driven command and control platform, fuses space domain awareness data and automates mission planning and vehicle coordination, allowing smaller teams to manage larger constellations and respond to emerging situations in seconds rather than hours.

The future of space depends on assets that can be inspected, monitored and protected in orbit. We are building the technology to make that possible.

Why Join Us

We're a start-up. Things move fast, resources are lean, and we're building as we go.

What we offer is opportunity: to learn at speed, grow with the company, and leave your fingerprints on something that's never been done before. At Space Machines Company, engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers join forces to push the limits of what's possible.

If you want to build technology designed to protect and power humanity's future in space and see your work make a visible impact. This is where you'll do it.

How We Work

We are builders first.

We approach every challenge through a cycle of design, build, test, and refine, making ideas real, learning from results, and improving with each iteration.

We challenge assumptions to make sure we're solving the right problems, and we strengthen our solutions through collaboration and feedback.

We use process where it adds value and set it aside where it slows us down. There are a lot of firsts here, and we meet them with curiosity and courage.

We win as one team.

As our Astrodynamics Engineer, you play a central role in bringing efficient, flexible orbital dynamics computations to our online systems.

You spend your time analysing complex orbital scenarios, liaising with our Guidance, Navigation and Control team on approaches and options, testing and implementing best-in-breed solutions and integrating them into our online C2 systems - and shaping how we grow.

Responsibilities

• Orbital Scenario Identification - Identify orbital scenarios relevant to satisfying the requirements of our online Command and Control systems.
• Solution Design & Testing - Design and test solutions using a broad range of approaches including analytical, numerical, hybrid propagators, third‑party libraries, in‑house developed algorithms, and novel techniques.
• Orbit Change Optimisation - Determine the most efficient means of performing large orbit changes, trading propellant usage against the time taken to complete the orbit change. Document trade‑offs and pros and cons of different approaches.
• Verification & Validation - Verify and validate proposed solutions for correctness and applicability.
• Systems Integration - Work with back-end engineers to integrate solutions into our online systems. Help bridge language, platform and toolkit differences between analytical solutions and production online systems. Work with front-end engineers to bring these solutions to life for our customers.
• GNC Collaboration - Work closely with the Guidance, Navigation and Control team to ensure orbital mechanics solutions align with spacecraft capabilities, sensor performance, and control authority.
• Staying Current - Stay current with state‑of‑the‑art orbital mechanics analysis and emerging approaches. Evaluate new techniques and tools that could enhance our analytical capabilities or operational efficiency.

About You

You'll thrive in this role if you bring:

• A builder's mindset - turning ideas and theory into working systems through hands‑on development, simulation, and testing.
• An iterative approach - designing, building, testing, learning, and improving with each cycle. Comfortable with weekly integration cadence and rapid validation of new algorithms.
• Collaboration and curiosity - working across disciplines and exploring beyond your own expertise. Exploring beyond your own expertise to solve novel problems in novel ways.
• Adaptability and ownership - thriving in a fast‑scaling, evolving environment where requirements emerge from building. Driving outcomes end to end without waiting for perfect specifications.

Proven Experience

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or a related discipline eg Space Engineering.

• 5+ years working with orbital mechanics delivering complex solutions.
• Strong familiarity and experience with a variety of propagation algorithms and tools.
• Analytical, numerical and hybrid propagation algorithms.
• GMAT, STK, MATLAB/Simulink etc.
• Polyglot programming experience with several of MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Rust, C++, Elixir/Erlang.
• Testing in a variety of environments/frameworks.

Bonus Experience

• Experience with proximity manoeuvres, formation flying.
• Experience with continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD).
• Knowledge and experience in spacecraft attitude dynamics.
• Mission planning experience.
• Familiarity with Git and GitHub.
• Use of AI LLMs to assist in technical development.

What You Actually Get

You Won't Get Rich Quickly. But You'll Get

• Competitive salary - Fair pay for hard work. Commensurate with experience and the impact you'll have.
• Meaningful equity (ESOP) - Real ownership stake. Stock options that matter because you're joining early enough for them to matter. If we win, you win.
• Actual leave - Annual leave plus personal/sick days. Because even warriors need to recover.
• Public holidays - All of them.
• And freedom. Real freedom to build, decide, and move without waiting for permission. That's not a benefit you'll find in a package description, but it's worth more than most perks on this list.