Mission Operations Engineering Intern

Reflect Orbital; Hawthorne, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time off

Healthy lunches provided daily

Job summary

Reflect Orbital invites motivated students to join a hands-on internship in Hawthorne, CA, contributing to a flying constellation. You will assume substantial responsibility similar to full-time staff and directly assist mission‑critical work.

Ideal candidates are problem-solvers with a strong foundation in aerospace, software or related engineering fields, able to work onsite full‑time for at least 12 weeks and commit to in-person collaboration.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in aerospace, software, electrical or related field.
• Able to work full-time onsite.
• Capable of scrappy, independent problem-solving with guidance when needed.
• Proven ability to build and ship complex, high-quality solutions when required.

Responsibilities

• Own design, development, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of spacecraft components.
• Build complete tools and testing setups and shipping your work.
• Prototype and iterate rapidly.

Skills

Full-time onsite

Independent work

Hands-on contributor

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in engineering

Tools

Python

Job description

At Reflect, you will be expected to move fast, have a lot of ownership and, most importantly, be able to effect change. If this excites you, we are interested in hearing about your best work and accomplishments across any domain and from any points in your life.

About the Role

Reflect Orbital believes that talent is talent regardless of experience. If you seek an opportunity to solve hard problems and advance humanity, Reflect Orbital can offer that experience.

During your internship at Reflect Orbital you will be given as much responsibility as our full-time team-members. You work will contribute to directly to the success of our flying constellation.

Ideal candidates for internships will be comfortable facing challenges with no known solution, willing to be hands‑on individual contributors, and able to commit to a minimum of 12 weeks in‑person at our Hawthorne, CA office. We encourage all motivated and excellent candidates to apply regardless of the specific set of requirements you meet.

Responsibilities

• Own the design, development, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of novel spacecraft components

• Build complete tools and testing setups, with an emphasis on fully completing and shipping your work

• Prototype and iterate rapidly

Minimum Qualifications

• You are able to work full-time onsite

• You are enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master’s degree program from an accredited college or university in aerospace engineering, software engineering, electrical engineering or related engineering field

• You're capable of incredibly scrappy solutions, but also have experience building & shipping complex and high quality solutions when the problem requires it

• You're both capable of working highly independently, but you know when to seek guidance

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of spacecraft systems and subsystem interactions

• Understanding of orbital mechanics fundamentals

• Programming and scripting skills (Python preferred)

• Experience using data analysis to troubleshoot or characterize complex systems

• Familiarity with mission control software, RF systems, or ground station operations is a plus (e.g. university CubeSat operations or amateur radio)

• Sound judgment and composure in real‑time, high‑pressure environments

• Clear written and verbal communication skills

• Application of technical skills outside of the classroom (e.g. extracurricular projects, volunteering, personal projects, laboratory research, or prior internship/work experience)

Even if you don’t meet 100% of the above qualifications, we are likely still interested in hearing from you. Hiring exceptional individuals is our #1 priority, and we believe that exceptional people often have highly unusual backgrounds.

We are also interested in carving out unique roles for unconventional people that we are excited about working with.

Benefits

Reflect Orbital’s success will hinge on our team, which is why our compensation and benefits plan is designed to reward our employees and support their families as generously as we’re able.

• Generous paid time off

• Healthy lunches provided daily

Equal Opportunity

Reflect Orbital is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Reflect Orbital is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

More about Reflect Orbital:

Learn more about our team here.