GNC Internship: Spacecraft Guidance & Controls

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing stipend

Commuter benefit

Job summary

Varda Space Industries seeks a Spring 2027 Guidance, Navigation & Controls intern in Los Angeles, CA. The role focuses on end-to-end GNC performance for reentry vehicles, from 6DOF simulation to sensor integration and trajectory optimization.

The internship emphasizes hands-on design, testing in simulation/HIL, and collaboration within a startup aerospace team. Candidates must be enrolled in an accredited degree program and possess strong programming and aerospace fundamentals.

Qualifications

• Actively enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program.
• Previous GNC internship.

Responsibilities

• Analyze reentry vehicle performance using end-to-end simulations.
• Test GNC sensors, actuators, and software in simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments.
• Design and implement mission-critical tooling for automated maneuver decisions.
• Develop autonomous attitude control, collision avoidance, and burn planning algorithms.
• Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for capsule reentry.

Skills

GNC internship

Orbital mechanics

Trajectory design

C++ or Python

Tools

GMAT

POST2

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Varda Space Industries seeks a Spring 2027 Guidance, Navigation & Controls intern in Los Angeles, CA. The role focuses on end-to-end GNC performance for reentry vehicles, from 6DOF simulation to sensor integration and trajectory optimization.

The internship emphasizes hands-on design, testing in simulation/HIL, and collaboration within a startup aerospace team. Candidates must be enrolled in an accredited degree program and possess strong programming and aerospace fundamentals.