Senior Guidance and Flight Controls Engineer - Lunar Permanence

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a senior Guidance, Navigation & Control engineer to join the GN&C team in Seattle. You will derive guidance designs from mission trajectories and coordinate with mission planning to ensure robust performance across Earth and cis-lunar orbits.

You will develop propulsion- and attitude-control algorithms and prototype them in high-fidelity simulations. You will implement control laws, perform trade studies, and collaborate across subsystems to close system design and create

Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering or Physics with 12+ years of experience or M.S. with 10+ years.
• Deep knowledge of astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, and attitude dynamics.
• Subject matter expertise in spacecraft guidance, maneuver planning and optimization.
• Background in GN&C algorithm development for flight and attitude control.
• Experience with C/C++, and development using Gitlab, Confluence and JIRA.

Responsibilities

• Derive spacecraft guidance designs from mission level trajectory designs.
• Coordinate performance requirements between GN&C and mission planning.
• Develop and maintain guidance algorithms for orbital maneuvers in Earth and cis-lunar orbits.
• Develop and sustain flight control algorithms for spacecraft operations.
• Perform trade studies for maneuver targeting sequences and RPOD operations.
• Collaborate with subsystems to ensure system level design closure.
• Develop and test software for flight systems and simulations.
• Integrate software in SIL and HIL environments and document results.
• Implement controls algorithms and models in a 6-DOF simulation using Rust, C/C++, Python.

Skills

C/C++

Astrodynamics

Guidance algorithms

Attitude control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or Physics

Tools

Gitlab

Confluence

JIRA

Python

Rust

Job description

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We're working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin's Blue Moon landers and related products. To further Blue Origin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth, we are building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface.

As part of a hardworking team of engineers, you will join our Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) team with an emphasis on Guidance and Flight Controls. You will share in the team's impact on all aspects of developing guidance algorithms, control laws, and flight software for spacecraft traveling from the Earth to the Moon! You will also prototype algorithms, conduct trade studies for trajectory guidance designs, conduct trade studies for control architectures, and perform linear stability analyses using classical and modern approaches. Expect to collaborate closely with other subsystems and spacecraft systems engineers to support the definition of subsystem boundaries, interfaces, and technical performance measures. In this capacity, you will be responsible for exemplifying proven practices, balanced technical judgment, and for demonstrating outstanding work ethic.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact the safe human exploration of the solar system. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Derive spacecraft guidance designs from mission level trajectory designs
• Coordinate performance requirements between GN&C and mission planning
• Develop and maintain both established and bespoke guidance algorithms for orbital maneuvers in various Earth and cis-lunar orbits, including rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) maneuvers
• Develop and sustain flight control algorithms for spacecraft operating complex missions
• Perform trade studies for efficient and robust maneuver targeting sequences, including nominal and contingency maneuvers during RPOD
• Perform trade studies driving maturity of detailed spacecraft and mission design
• Collaborate with communication, propulsion, structures, fluids, and mechanisms subsystems to ensure system level design closure
• Develop and maintain software for flight systems and simulations
• Integrate and test software in SIL and HIL environments
• Implement controls algorithms and subsystem component models in an integrated 6-DOF simulation environment using Rust, C/C++, and Python
• Develop toolsets for automated requirements, configuration, and performance analyses
• Support internal and external reviews with data products and reports

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering or Physics with 12+ years of experience or M.S. with 10+ years of experience
• Deep knowledge of astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, attitude kinematics and dynamics
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in spacecraft guidance, including maneuver planning, targeting, and optimization
• Established background in GN&C algorithm development specifically for flight and attitude control using classical and modern control methods
• Knowledgeable in frequency domain analysis techniques
• Robust understanding of controller stability derivatives and stability margins with respect to spacecraft dynamics, flexible body dynamics, and slosh dynamics
• Demonstrated experience with control law design for aerospace vehicles
• Familiarity with development of requirements, interfaces, trades and analyses for aerospace GN&C applications
• Understand the relationship between attitude control, vehicle configuration, spacecraft dynamics, actuators, sensors, and automation
• Hands-on development with C/C++
• Experience with collaboration tools such as Gitlab, Confluence, and JIRA
• Strong grasp of software and data configuration management techniques and tools
• Highly organized teammate with excellent technical written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and give to a culture of safety.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. focused on spacecraft guidance, trajectory optimization, or dynamics and controls
• Proven experience in development, implementation and testing of GN&C systems for aerospace vehicles
• Proven technical experience through the full lifecycle of system development
• Proficiency in various control methods such as PID, Phase-Plane, H-Infinity, Lead and Lag Compensators, Dynamic Inversion, etc.
• Experience designing flight control systems with reaction