Senior Orbital Trajectory Architect & Mission Lead

MaC VC; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 393,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stock options

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

401(k) plan

Paid Time Off

Holidays

Parental leave

On-site gym or wellness stipend

Dog-friendly offices

Job summary

Stoke Space in the United States is building Nova, a fully reusable launch vehicle, with high cadence to lower costs. As Mission Design Lead you own mission design for the new organization’s products, determining which spacecraft can perform which missions and defining trajectories across LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar and lunar space.

You will develop delta‑v budgets, propulsion sizing inputs, timelines and deliverables for cross‑disciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, applied mathematics or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of mission design or flight dynamics experience, including at least one spacecraft mission flown as mission design or flight dynamics lead.
• Deep command of orbital mechanics and trajectory optimization across multiple regimes (LEO through cislunar).
• Writes their own tools: Python, MATLAB, C++ or similar, plus at least one industry mission-design package.
• Working knowledge of how trajectory choices drive thermal, power, radiation and aerothermal environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, optimize and compare trajectories and mission profiles across LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar and lunar regimes.
• Map vehicle capability to mission capability and back: delta‑v budgets, propellant and timeline trades across propulsion.
• Provide trajectory‑derived inputs to other studies: thermal and radiation environments, aerothermal loads, eclipse and power profiles.
• Build and maintain the organization's trajectory and mission‑analysis tooling.
• Define GNC and flight‑dynamics requirements and verify system performs against them.
• Own flight‑safety and regulatory analysis for maneuvering missions.
• Help grow the mission design team as the products mature.

Skills

Python

MATLAB

C++

Orbital mechanics

Trajectory optimization

Communication skills

Education

Advanced degree in aerospace engineering

Tools

GMAT

Copernicus

FreeFlyer

POST2

Job description

Stoke Space in the United States is building Nova, a fully reusable launch vehicle, with high cadence to lower costs. As Mission Design Lead you own mission design for the new organization’s products, determining which spacecraft can perform which missions and defining trajectories across LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar and lunar space.

You will develop delta‑v budgets, propulsion sizing inputs, timelines and deliverables for cross‑disciplinary teams.