Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer: Trajectory & Mission Planning

Rocket Lab USA; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 135,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock and cash incentives

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II to lead trajectory design and analysis for Earth orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions from its Littleton, CO headquarters. The role requires strong collaboration with multiple engineering teams and a focus on safe, efficient mission execution.

You will develop and analyze launch vehicle trajectories, perform orbital propagation and rendezvous planning, and support mission design with launch window analysis and delta-V

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Space Systems, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in mission design and flight dynamics.
• Knowledge of orbital mechanics, spaceflight dynamics, maneuver design, orbit determination, Kalman filtering.
• Experience with mission analysis tools such as STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte Carlo simulations, Copernicus, or equivalents.
• Proficient in Python and version control with Git; Jira experience preferred.
• U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories (ascent, orbit insertion, maneuvers).
• Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis.
• 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 trajectory data products and provide flight dynamics support for readiness reviews.
• Contribute to in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure.
• Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and data analysis.

Skills

Orbital mechanics

Python

Git

Jira

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Space Systems/Physics

Tools

STK

Astrogator

GMAT

Monte Carlo tools

ODTK/Orekit

Job description

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II to lead trajectory design and analysis for Earth orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions from its Littleton, CO headquarters. The role requires strong collaboration with multiple engineering teams and a focus on safe, efficient mission execution.

You will develop and analyze launch vehicle trajectories, perform orbital propagation and rendezvous planning, and support mission design with launch window analysis and delta-V