GNC Engineer, Spacecraft Attitude & Control — Equity Options

Approach Venture; Golden (MS); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity via stock options

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Three weeks of paid vacation

Ten+ paid holidays

Job summary

Approach Venture seeks an GNC Engineer to own attitude determination and control for modular spacecraft configurations from architecture to flight software. You will build high-reliability algorithms and simulations using C++ and Python, enabling de-tumble, pointing, and momentum management across evolving vehicle designs.

The role requires strong background in spacecraft dynamics, estimation, and software verification, with collaboration across flight software, avionics, propulsion, and mission

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical, electrical, physics, math, or related field.
• Strong software development capability in C++ and Python.
• Strong foundation in spacecraft dynamics, controls, or estimation.
• Ability to translate analytical and simulation work into production flight software.
• Comfortable working across software, hardware, simulation, and test environments.
• Ability to independently solve complex technical problems in a fast-moving engineering environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own attitude determination and control for the spacecraft, including de-tumble, pointing, slewing, momentum management, and safe-mode behavior.
• Develop high-reliability GNC algorithms, simulations, analysis tools, and operational software using C++ and Python.
• Design and implement spacecraft attitude estimation and control algorithms within the flight software stack.
• Develop momentum management strategies across reaction wheels, magnetic actuators, and propulsion systems.
• Model and control spacecraft with changing inertia, center of mass, and structural characteristics.
• Lead trade studies and sizing activities for ADCS sensors and actuators.
• Support selection and integration of reaction wheels, magnetorquers, thrusters, star trackers, sun sensors, rate sensors, and GNSS hardware.
• Define vehicle-level GNC requirements and operating concepts.
• Balance pointing, thermal, power, communications, momentum, and fault-management requirements.
• Build and run 6DOF simulations and Monte Carlo analyses to evaluate performance and robustness.
• Verify algorithms using hardware-in-the-loop test environments.
• Support spacecraft integration, test, and flight readiness activities.
• Monitor on-orbit GNC health and performance.
• Lead investigations into attitude-control anomalies and drive corrective actions.
• Contribute to relative navigation and attitude-control algorithms supporting rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking.
• Work closely with flight software, avionics, propulsion, structures, test, and mission operations teams

Skills

C++

Python

Spacecraft dynamics

Control systems

Attitude estimation

Software verification

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or related

Tools

Git

Job description

Approach Venture seeks an GNC Engineer to own attitude determination and control for modular spacecraft configurations from architecture to flight software. You will build high-reliability algorithms and simulations using C++ and Python, enabling de-tumble, pointing, and momentum management across evolving vehicle designs.

The role requires strong background in spacecraft dynamics, estimation, and software verification, with collaboration across flight software, avionics, propulsion, and mission