Founding GNC Engineer

Orbital Robotics; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbital Robotics seeks a founding GNC Engineer to design and deploy guidance, navigation, and control for space robots and satellites. You will work on flight software, simulations, and real-world hardware to ensure robust performance in demanding space environments.

You will apply expertise in orbital mechanics, state estimation, and deep learning to build AI-enabled control systems, verify safety-critical software, and contribute to a world-class space robotics program.

Qualifications

• U.S. person required due to ITAR regulations.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related engineering discipline.
• Proficiency in C/C++ and Python software development.

Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, test, and deploy GNC and robotic control algorithms from whiteboard concepts to production flight software.
• Build high-fidelity simulations modeling vehicle and robot dynamics, sensor noise, and environmental perturbations.
• Train, optimize, and deploy control systems and neural networks for trajectory execution and computer vision tasks.
• Integrate and debug GNC and AI algorithms in simulation and on hardware.

Skills

C language

C++

Python

GNC

Robotics

Control theory

Deep learning

Computer vision

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

Bachelor’s Degree in Physics

Bachelor’s Degree in Robotics

Tools

ROS

Git

Simulink

Job description

Orbital Robotics is hiring a founding GNC Engineer who has developed software for robots and/or satellites with backgrounds in orbital mechanics, state estimation, control theory, robot motion planning, computer vision, deep learning, free-flying/free-floating space robot dynamics, and flight software development. You will join a team of world class engineers with experience deploying neural networks on real-world space robot systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, test, and deploy GNC and robotic control algorithms from whiteboard concepts to production flight software.

• Build high-fidelity simulations that accurately model vehicle and robot dynamics, sensor noise, and environmental perturbations.

• Train, optimize, and deploy control systems and neural networks for real-world systems for trajectory execution and computer vision tasks.

• Integrate and debug GNC and AI algorithms in simulation and on hardware.

Qualifications

• Due to ITAR regulations, must be a U.S. person (citizen, permanent resident, or designated asylee/refugee).

• Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) in: Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Robotics, or a related engineering discipline.

• Software development experience in C, C++ and Python

Desired Experience

Spacecraft Systems and GNC

• Space Heritage: You have written code or built hardware that has flown and operated in space.

• Orbital Mechanics: You have a deep understanding of Orbit Determination and Control, and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO).

• Safety-Critical Software: Experience developing software under rigorous standards such as DO-178C or NPR-7150.2

Robotics and Control

• Robotic Manipulation: Experience leveraging robotic arm kinematics, dynamics, and motion planning to manipulate objects with robotic arms.

• Advanced Control Methods: Practical implementation model predictive control and force-based control strategies including impedance and admittance control.

• Optimization: Proficiency with sequential convex programming, Levenberg-Marquardt, Gauss-Newton, Newton-Raphson, and Gradient Descent algorithms.

Autonomy, AI, and State Estimation

• Estimation and Mapping: Experience deploying state estimation (EKF, UKF), visual odometry, simultaneous localization and mapping, structure from motion and 3D reconstruction algorithms on hardware systems.

• Computer Vision: Experience deploying and verifying video object detection, segmentation, and pose estimation algorithms on hardware systems.

• Deep Learning: Hands-on experience with Deep Reinforcement Learning using PyTorch or alternatives (e.g. Tensorflow) and a proven track record of deploying neural networks to real-world, edge-compute systems.

• AI System Verification: Experience verifying AI controlled hardware systems such as robots or autonomous vehicles.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.