Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer I: Trajectory Lead

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Employee stock purchase program

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Merchandise discount (50%)

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer I to design and analyze trajectories for Earth orbiting and deep-space missions from Long Beach, CA. You’ll collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to validate guidance profiles and support flight operations.

The role requires 5+ years in flight dynamics, strong orbital mechanics knowledge, Python, and experience with STK/Astrogator. Active clearance or ability to obtain is required; U.S. citizenship is a must.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, or Software Engineering or related.
• 5+ years in mission design and flight dynamics.
• Strong knowledge of orbital mechanics and orbit determination theory.
• Experience with STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus or equivalent.
• Proficient in Python; Git and Jira familiarity.
• Citizen and security requirements per U.S. program (ITAR eligibility).

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories for multiple mission profiles.
• Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis.
• Support mission design including launch window analysis and delta-V budgets.
• Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate guidance profiles.
• Produce trajectory data products for mission readiness reviews and analyses.
• Contribute to internal flight dynamics tools and infrastructure.
• Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and data analysis.

Skills

5+ years of experience in mission设计?

Understanding orbital mechanics

Python programming

Git version control

Jira software

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, Software Engineering, or related field

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

STK

Astrogator

GMAT

Monte

Copernicus

ODTK / Orekit (optional)

Job description

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer I to design and analyze trajectories for Earth orbiting and deep-space missions from Long Beach, CA. You’ll collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to validate guidance profiles and support flight operations.

The role requires 5+ years in flight dynamics, strong orbital mechanics knowledge, Python, and experience with STK/Astrogator. Active clearance or ability to obtain is required; U.S. citizenship is a must.