Mission Design Lead: Trajectory Architect for Spacecraft

stokespacetechnologies; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity - stock options

Comprehensive benefits (medical,Dental

Vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

Stoke is building Nova, a fully reusable launch vehicle, and seeks a Mission Design Lead to own mission design across LEO to lunar space. You will define trajectories, delta‑v budgets, and propulsion sizing inputs for the group's spacecraft systems, turning concepts into executable plans.

You will develop in‑house trajectory tools and leverage industry packages, collaborating with a small, mission‑driven team to push rapid, rigorous design through fast learning and decisive trades.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, applied mathematics or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of mission design or flight dynamics experience, including at least one spacecraft mission flown as mission design or flight dynamics lead.
• Deep command of orbital mechanics and trajectory optimization across multiple regimes (LEO through cislunar), including low-thrust and multi-burn problems.
• Writes their own tools: Python, MATLAB, C++ or similar, plus at least one industry mission-design package.
• Working knowledge of how trajectory choices drive thermal, power, radiation and aerothermal environments, and of GNC and navigation fundamentals.
• Demonstrated ability to make rapid, well-reasoned trades with incomplete information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to lead and to follow.

Responsibilities

• Design, optimize and compare trajectories and mission profiles across LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar and lunar regimes for the group's products.
• Map vehicle capability to mission capability and back: delta‑v budgets, propellant and timeline trades across chemical, electric and multi‑mode propulsion, and the mission‑class definitions that drive vehicle requirements.
• Provide trajectory‑derived inputs to other studies: thermal and radiation environments, aerothermal loads for atmospheric flight phases, eclipse and power profiles, ground‑contact and communication geometry.
• Build and maintain the organization's trajectory and mission‑analysis tooling (own code plus industry packages such as GMAT, Copernicus, FreeFlyer, STK or POST2).
• Define GNC and flight‑dynamics requirements that flow from the mission design, and verify the flight system, in‑house or partner‑provided, performs against them.
• Own flight‑safety, conjunction‑assessment and regulatory analysis for maneuvering missions.
• Help grow the mission design team as the products mature.

Skills

Orbital mechanics

Trajectory optimization

Programming: Python/MATLAB/C++

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Master's or PhD in aerospace engineering / astrodynamics / applied mathematics

Tools

GMAT

Copernicus

FreeFlyer

STK

POST2

Job description

Stoke is building Nova, a fully reusable launch vehicle, and seeks a Mission Design Lead to own mission design across LEO to lunar space. You will define trajectories, delta‑v budgets, and propulsion sizing inputs for the group's spacecraft systems, turning concepts into executable plans.

You will develop in‑house trajectory tools and leverage industry packages, collaborating with a small, mission‑driven team to push rapid, rigorous design through fast learning and decisive trades.