Hybrid Senior Space Flight Dynamics Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health care and wellness

Relocation assistance

Education assistance programs

401(k) plan with company match

Flexible spending accounts

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation seeks a highly skilled professional for Flight Mechanics to design and optimize trajectories for launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will apply astrodynamics, perform orbit propagation, and develop new tools while collaborating with partners to deliver robust space systems for defense, civil, and commercial customers.

Requirements include a bachelor’s in a related field, 2+ years in flight mechanics or trajectory work, and the ability to obtain a US security clearance;

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering, physics or applied mathematics, or related disciplines.
• Two years of experience in flight mechanics, astrodynamics, maneuver optimization, trajectory optimization, launch vehicle trajectory design, hypersonic vehicle modeling, or related simulation.
• Proficiency in C, C++, Fortran, Python, Linux, and/or MATLAB.
• Willingness to travel domestically approximately 10% of the time.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a US security clearance is required; US citizenship is required; TS clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles and spacecraft across Earth-centric regimes.
• Astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation and maneuver design.
• Analysis of vehicles with chemical and/or electric propulsion.
• Evaluate contested mission applications to assess performance and vulnerabilities.
• Explore Dynamic Space Operations (DSO) and RPO objectives with constraints.
• Develop CONOPS and incorporate operational constraints into design.
• Provide operational support for nominal launch and deployment sequences and anomaly resolution.
• Create and adapt flight dynamics tools; integrate external tools when appropriate.

Skills

Flight mechanics

Astrodynamics

Trajectory optimization

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering, physics or applied mathematics

Tools

C

C++

Fortran

Python

Linux

MATLAB

Job description

The Aerospace Corporation seeks a highly skilled professional for Flight Mechanics to design and optimize trajectories for launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will apply astrodynamics, perform orbit propagation, and develop new tools while collaborating with partners to deliver robust space systems for defense, civil, and commercial customers.

Requirements include a bachelor’s in a related field, 2+ years in flight mechanics or trajectory work, and the ability to obtain a US security clearance;