Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer - Trajectory & Mission

Rocket Lab Corporation; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock

Cash incentives

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Paid sick leave

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Littleton, CO, is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer I to design and optimize trajectories for Earth orbit, lunar, and interplanetary missions. You’ll collaborate with Systems, Ground Software, Electrical, Avionics, and Flight Software teams to solve complex problems and deliver mission-ready guidance.

The role emphasizes real-time operations, anomaly response, and the development of in-house dynamics tools, with a base salary range and full Rocket Lab compensation package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Space Systems, or an equivalent Engineering or Applied Physics degree.
• 5+ years of experience in mission design, flight dynamics.
• Demonstrated knowledge of orbital mechanics, including spaceflight dynamics, maneuver design, orbit determination, and Kalman filtering.
• Mission analysis with STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus, or equivalent.
• Git version control, or an equivalent version control system.
• Jira software project management or equivalent.
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories, including ascent, orbit insertion, and orbital maneuvers
• Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis for spacecraft operations
• Support mission design including launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning
• Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles
• Generate and deliver trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews
• Contribute to development of in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure
• Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch data analysis

Skills

Bachelor's degree knowledge

5+ years experience

Orbital mechanics

Mission analysis tools

Git

Jira

U.S. citizenship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Space Systems/Applied Physics

Tools

STK

Astrogator

GMAT

Monte

Copernicus

Git

Jira

Job description

Rocket Lab in Littleton, CO, is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer I to design and optimize trajectories for Earth orbit, lunar, and interplanetary missions. You’ll collaborate with Systems, Ground Software, Electrical, Avionics, and Flight Software teams to solve complex problems and deliver mission-ready guidance.

The role emphasizes real-time operations, anomaly response, and the development of in-house dynamics tools, with a base salary range and full Rocket Lab compensation package.