Senior Flight Mechanics & Trajectory Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation; Albuquerque (NM); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care and wellness plans

Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

401(k) with company matching

Relocation assistance

Education assistance programs

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation invites applications for a Member of Technical Staff in Flight Mechanics within the Emerging Missions Flight Dynamics Department. The role focuses on astrodynamics, trajectory optimization, and flight mechanics software development to support cislunar and mission analyses for defense, civil, and commercial customers, with opportunities for inter-department collaboration.

We seek candidates with hands-on experience in space mission analysis, multi-objective optimization,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or related technical discipline.
• At least two years of relevant professional technical work experience.
• Experience in space mission analysis and design, astrodynamics, optimization, and trajectory simulation.
• Proficiency with Python, C/C++, Fortran, MATLAB.
• Willing to travel domestically (approx. 10%).
• Ability to obtain/maintain a US security clearance (US citizenship required).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation and maneuver design.
• Tackle combinatorial optimization and sequential decision problems (e.g., TSP).
• Apply multi-objective optimization and metaheuristics to problems.
• Develop C++/Python software components and stand-alone tools.
• Leverage external tools (SciPy, GMAT, etc.) to augment capabilities.
• Evaluate missions to assess performance and resilience.
• Develop CONOPS and incorporate operational constraints into designs.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Fortran

MATLAB

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Science/Math

Tools

SciPy

ASSET

GPOPS-II

SNOPT

POST

OTIS

Copernicus

GMAT

EMTG

Job description

The Aerospace Corporation invites applications for a Member of Technical Staff in Flight Mechanics within the Emerging Missions Flight Dynamics Department. The role focuses on astrodynamics, trajectory optimization, and flight mechanics software development to support cislunar and mission analyses for defense, civil, and commercial customers, with opportunities for inter-department collaboration.

We seek candidates with hands-on experience in space mission analysis, multi-objective optimization,