GNC Engineer: Satellite Attitude Control & Navigation

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision, dental coverage

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

SpaceX seeks a GNC Engineer for Attitude Determination and Control System (Starshield). You will design, implement, and test spacecraft GNC software to support Starlink and government missions. Expect work on 6DOF modeling, navigation filtering, and flight software, with exposure to HITL testing and cross‑disciplinary collaboration.

The role emphasizes autonomy, complex problem solving, and experience with GNSS/star trackers, CI/CD, and secure operations. Clearance may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, software engineering, or an engineering discipline.
• Software development experience in C++, Python, and/or MATLAB/Simulink.
• Experience with attitude determination and/or state estimation algorithms.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement satellite GNC software for all mission phases.
• Develop CONOPs balancing thermal, power, momentum, comms, and payload pointing.
• Create and test onboard GNC algorithms for autonomy and fault tolerance.
• Maintain GNC software configurations across satellite revisions and missions.
• Develop high-fidelity 6DOF models and conduct Monte Carlo analyses.
• Lead HITL testing and improve modeling fidelity.
• Collaborate with thermal, power, and comms teams for system-level design.

Skills

C++

Python

MATLAB/Simulink

state estimation

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, computer science or related engineering field

Job description

SpaceX seeks a GNC Engineer for Attitude Determination and Control System (Starshield). You will design, implement, and test spacecraft GNC software to support Starlink and government missions. Expect work on 6DOF modeling, navigation filtering, and flight software, with exposure to HITL testing and cross‑disciplinary collaboration.

The role emphasizes autonomy, complex problem solving, and experience with GNSS/star trackers, CI/CD, and secure operations. Clearance may be required.