Flight Dynamics Engineer II

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Flight Dynamics Engineer II to apply orbital mechanics expertise to plan trajectories, develop flight dynamics software tools, and support real-time spacecraft operations across LEO, cislunar space, and lunar missions.

You will execute trajectory designs, state estimation, and maneuver planning while collaborating with cross‑functional teams to validate models and deliver robust mission analyses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related field.
• 2-5 years of experience in spacecraft flight dynamics.
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics theory and applications.
• Understanding of spacecraft attitude dynamics and control.
• Knowledge of targeting and optimization methods, estimation theory, and uncertainty modeling techniques.
• Experience in software development and modeling/simulation for spaceflight applications.
• Working knowledge of Python and Linux.
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing.
• Experience with STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, ODTK, or similar.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform trajectory planning, state vector estimation, and maneuver design for operational spacecraft.
• Develop custom software tools and libraries to automate mission design and preparation workflows.
• Model high‑fidelity spacecraft dynamics that include gravitational perturbations, atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure, and other celestial bodies.
• Perform Monte Carlo simulations and error budgeting to assess mission robustness to dispersions in initial conditions, system performance, and environmental uncertainties.
• Interface with cross‑discipline teams to provide accurate ephemerides, navigation solutions, and maneuver plans for mission planning and operations.
• Serve as a flight dynamics operator for spacecraft missions and perform maneuver reconstruction to improve spacecraft models.
• Build automated data processing pipelines and visualization tools to support real‑time mission operations and post‑flight analysis.
• Perform verification and validation of flight dynamics models and software against analytical solutions, benchmarks, flight data, and unit tests.
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate flight dynamics concepts and results to diverse audiences.

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field

Master's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field

2-5 years of experience in spacecraft flight dynamics

Strong understanding of orbital mechanics theory and applications

Understanding of spacecraft attitude dynamics and control

Knowledge of targeting and optimization methods, estimation theory, and uncertainty modeling techniques

Experience in software development and modeling/simulation for spaceflight applications

Working knowledge of Python and Linux

Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing

Experience with one or more commercial flight dynamics software tools (STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, ODTK, or similar)

Strong communication and presentation skills

Tools

STK

GMAT

FreeFlyer

ODTK

Job description

About Firefly Aerospace

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

About Firefly Aerospace

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.

Summary

As a Flight Dynamics Engineer II at Firefly, you will apply your knowledge of orbital mechanics and spacecraft dynamics to plan trajectories, develop flight dynamics software tools, and support real-time spacecraft operations for missions spanning LEO and cislunar space. In this role, you will independently execute trajectory planning, state estimation, and maneuver design tasks while collaborating with cross-functional teams to model spacecraft dynamics, validate flight dynamics solutions, and contribute to the success of missions spanning Earth orbit, cislunar space, and the lunar surface. This position combines hands‑on analysis and software development with operational support across the full spacecraft mission lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Perform trajectory planning, state vector estimation, and maneuver design for operational spacecraft
• Develop custom software tools and libraries to automate mission design and preparation workflows
• Model high‑fidelity spacecraft dynamics that include the effects of gravitational perturbations, atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure, and other celestial bodies
• Perform Monte Carlo simulations and error budgeting to assess mission robustness to dispersions in initial conditions, system performance, and environmental uncertainties
• Interface with cross‑discipline teams to provide accurate ephemerides, navigation solutions, and maneuver plans for mission planning and operations
• Serve as a flight dynamics operator for spacecraft missions and perform maneuver reconstruction to improve spacecraft models
• Build automated data processing pipelines and visualization tools to support real‑time mission operations and post‑flight analysis
• Perform verification and validation of flight dynamics models and software against analytical solutions, benchmarks, flight data, and unit tests
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate flight dynamics concepts and results to diverse audiences

QUALIFICATIONSRequired

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field
• 2-5 years of experience in spacecraft flight dynamics
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics theory and applications
• Understanding of spacecraft attitude dynamics and control
• Knowledge of targeting and optimization methods, estimation theory, and uncertainty modeling techniques
• Experience in software development and modeling/simulation for spaceflight applications
• Working knowledge of Python and Linux
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
• Experience with one or more commercial flight dynamics software tools (STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, ODTK, or similar)
• Strong communication and presentation skills

Desired

• Master's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field
• Experience across multiple flight dynamics disciplines, including trajectory design, maneuver planning, and orbit determination
• Experience supporting operational spacecraft missions
• Advanced Python programming skills
• Experience with spacecraft trajectory design using STK
• Exposure to JPL's MONTE software
• Familiarity with CI/CD workflows and automated testing
• Comprehensive knowledge of spacecraft subsystems and their impact on trajectory design and orbit determination accuracy

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.