Missile GNC Intern: Flight Dynamics & Navigation

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 47,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is seeking a Missile GNC Intern to apply engineering, physics, or math skills to evaluate guidance, navigation, and control for national missile systems. You will join a team of engineers, physicists, and mathematicians focused on independent evaluation of strategic systems.

You will learn inertial navigation, develop dynamics models, and create GNC algorithms for 6-DOF simulations while extending an analysis library and validating

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Engineering, Physics, or Math.
• Willing to learn new skills and expand capabilities.
• GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Eligibility for Interim Secret clearance and eventual Top Secret clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Learn inertial navigation with accelerometers and gyroscopes and understand instrument inaccuracies.
• Develop linear dynamics models for controller design and compare GNC algorithms.
• Develop optimal estimation tools for evaluating flight test dynamics and navigation of missile systems.
• Improve existing tools and processes to analyze real flight data.
• Develop navigation, guidance, and control algorithms for 6-DOF simulations.
• Extend an object‑oriented accuracy analysis software library through full life cycle support.
• Learn and apply optimal control theory to guidance algorithms across programs.
• Use MATLAB/Simulink to generate navigation sensor models and perform trade studies.
• Build navigation code architectures for embedded environments and validate existing code.
• Perform hardware characterization and evaluation with standard test equipment.

Skills

MATLAB

C++

Kalman filtering

Flight dynamics

Education

Engineering/Physics/Math degree

Tools

Simulink

MATLAB

Job description

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is seeking a Missile GNC Intern to apply engineering, physics, or math skills to evaluate guidance, navigation, and control for national missile systems. You will join a team of engineers, physicists, and mathematicians focused on independent evaluation of strategic systems.

You will learn inertial navigation, develop dynamics models, and create GNC algorithms for 6-DOF simulations while extending an analysis library and validating