GNC Engineering Intern

Hardware FYI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive hourly pay

Hands-on mentorship

Team lunches and activities

Job summary

Astro Mechanica is seeking a summer 2027 intern to join the GNC Team in San Francisco. You will work on guidance, navigation, and control systems for a clean-sheet autonomous aircraft, collaborating with hardware and software engineers.

You’ll gain hands-on experience in flight dynamics, control architectures, and simulation, with mentorship from senior engineers. The internship runs 10–12 weeks in Summer 2027, in-office five days a week.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in aerospace, software, robotics, or related field.
• Experience in GNC, controls, or autonomous systems.
• Strong fundamentals in flight dynamics and control theory.
• Proficiency in C++, Rust and Python; familiarity with version control and CI.

Responsibilities

• Develop guidance, navigation, and control algorithms with senior engineers.
• Contribute to 6-DOF dynamics and simulation models for control design.
• Build tooling to automate control design, Monte Carlo analysis, and simulation validation.
• Collaborate with peers across engineering disciplines to understand control schemes.
• Own a scoped project and present results to the team at internship end.

Skills

GNC knowledge

Flight dynamics

Controls theory

Modeling & simulation

Rust

C++

Python

Version control

CI

Education

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in a relevant field

Tools

Git

CI tooling

Job description

ABOUT US:

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing a scalable technology platform to power critical infrastructure, mission operations, and the future of flight. We apply aerospace engineering and quality standards across our products, delivering high performance, reliability, and efficiency for the most demanding operating environments. Astro Mechanica is backed by leading venture and strategic investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Giant Step Capital, United Airlines Ventures, and Voyager Ventures.

WHO WE ARE:

We’re a team of passionate engineers dedicated to advancing aerospace. We’re generalists with specialist depth, united by a flat structure and a shared obsession with building things that work well. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and let engineering excellence speak louder than hierarchy.

WHO YOU ARE:

Astro Mechanica is seeking an Intern to join our GNC Team for the summer of 2027 (program begins on June 7, 2027 for semester schools and June 27, 2027 for quarter schools). You are a GNC-focused student who wants to make a real contribution to the guidance and control system of a clean-sheet autonomous aircraft. You are comfortable working from first principles, want to write simulation and flight code yourself, and are excited to work closely with hardware and software teams. As a summer 2027 intern, you’ll be embedded with the team in San Francisco, working on real projects alongside full-time engineers and learning from them. You care about how systems behave in the real world, not just in simulation, and you’re motivated by building control architectures that are robust, testable, and ready for flight.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Help develop and implement guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for our products, with guidance from senior engineers

• Contribute to 6-DOF dynamics and simulation models used for control design, analysis, and validation

• Build tooling to automate control design, Monte Carlo analysis, and simulation validation

• Work with peers across engineering disciplines to understand the control schemes and mechanisms for our products

• Own a scoped project through the summer and present your results to the team at the end of the internship

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline

• Coursework, research, club, or internship experience in GNC, controls, or autonomous systems

• Solid foundation in flight dynamics, control theory, modeling, and simulation

• Experience with Rust, C++, or a comparable systems language, plus Python for analysis and tooling

• Familiarity with software development best practices such as version control, code review, testing, and CI

• Ambition to work in a fast-paced environment

• Available for a full-time, in-person internship in San Francisco during Summer 2027 (approximately 10–12 weeks)

PERKS & BENEFITS:

• Competitive hourly pay

• Hands-on mentorship from experienced engineers

• Company-funded perks, including team lunches, game nights, and other activities

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

At Astro Mechanica, we highly value in-office work to foster collaboration and strengthen our company culture. We consider working in the office five days a week an essential part of the employee's role.

Astro Mechanica is an equal opportunity employer. We proudly recruit and hire a diverse workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.