Real-Time Orbit Operations Engineer

Reflect Orbital; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

HSA/FSA/401K access

Unlimited PTO

Healthy lunches provided daily

Job summary

Reflect Orbital is seeking an Orbit Operations Engineer in Hawthorne, CA, to own day-to-day spacecraft operations and build the operational infrastructure that keeps the fleet running smoothly.

You will monitor health, plan maneuvers, investigate anomalies, and develop automation and procedures while collaborating with engineering teams to shape CONOPS and fault management. This role demands high-ownership, real-time decision making, and on-call readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM field.
• 3+ years of experience in satellite mission operations or a related field.
• Proficiency with mission control software such as OpenC3 COSMOS, Kratos EPOCH, or L3Harris InControl.
• Strong programming and scripting skills (Python, C++ preferred).
• Familiarity with Linux environments and command-line tools.
• Experience with DevOps tools (Git, Docker, CI/CD).
• Familiarity with RF systems, ground station operations, or link budgets.
• Experience developing operational requirements or CONOPS documentation.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and data-driven analysis.
• Clear written and verbal communication; calm under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Monitor real-time telemetry and spacecraft subsystem health
• Triage and investigate on-orbit anomalies end-to-end and document findings and lessons learned to improve fleet reliability
• Perform long-term telemetry trending and performance analysis to detect subsystem degradation, refine alarm limits, and inform operational and design decisions
• Plan and execute spacecraft maneuvers, station-keeping, and orbital adjustments
• Coordinate ground station passes and scheduling
• Support LEOP, bus and payload commissioning, and orbit-raising campaigns for new satellites, executing procedures and contributing to in-orbit test and checkout
• Develop, validate, and maintain operational procedures and command sequences
• Build automation for telemetry monitoring and alerting, pass scheduling, routine commanding, and anomaly detection and response
• Collaborate with spacecraft engineering teams to define CONOPS, fault management, and spacecraft procedures
• Support deployment and testing of ground software updates and infrastructure changes
• Validate procedures, command sequences, and automation against simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments prior to on-orbit execution
• Define, validate, and maintain onboard FDIR and fault management responses
• Plan and execute operational readiness activities, including simulations and dress rehearsals
• Participate in 24/7 rotating shift work to meet mission needs

Skills

Sat Ops experience

Problem solving

Verbal written comms

High-pressure performance

Multi-satellite ops

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM field

Tools

OpenC3 COSMOS

Kratos EPOCH

L3Harris InControl

Python

C++

Linux

Git

Docker

CI/CD

Job description

Reflect Orbital is seeking an Orbit Operations Engineer in Hawthorne, CA, to own day-to-day spacecraft operations and build the operational infrastructure that keeps the fleet running smoothly.

You will monitor health, plan maneuvers, investigate anomalies, and develop automation and procedures while collaborating with engineering teams to shape CONOPS and fault management. This role demands high-ownership, real-time decision making, and on-call readiness.