Spacecraft GNC Engineer — Build Autonomous Spaceflight

True Anomaly, Inc.; Laguna Beach (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity & Benefits

PTO & parental leave

Job summary

True Anomaly seeks talented engineers to develop GNC systems for autonomous spacecraft. You will own architecture, algorithms, verification, hardware integration, and on-orbit operations to advance space superiority.

Join a multidisciplinary team across avionics, propulsion, software, and mission operations. Expect work on state estimation, Kalman filtering, and robust flight software with rigorous simulation and testing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical engineering, physics, or related field.
• 2–4 years of GNC engineering experience in aerospace/defense.
• Coursework or projects in attitude dynamics, orbital mechanics, and control systems.
• Strong understanding of physics, attitude dynamics, orbital mechanics, and software development principles.
• Internship or project experience in GNC, control systems, or simulation.
• Experience with C++ and/or Python for algorithms or simulation.
• Familiarity with spacecraft GNC concepts (sensors, actuators, state estimation).
• Exposure to Kalman filters through internships, coursework, or projects.
• Ability to build, test, and debug software and simulation tools.
• Strong analytical skills and multidisciplinary teamwork.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership and learn quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own all aspects of GNC system development, including architecture definition, algorithm design, verification, hardware integration, and on-orbit operations.
• Design, test, and validate GNC flight software and embedded algorithms for spacecraft operating in LEO, GEO, and other orbit regimes.
• Develop and maintain spacecraft Attitude and Orbit Determination & Estimation (AOD/AOE) algorithms, including sensor fusion and filtering frameworks.
• Conduct trade studies and provide design recommendations for GNC hardware such as reaction wheels, torque rods, thrusters, star trackers, sun sensors, IMUs, and RF/optical navigation sensors.
• Develop GNC algorithms and implement them in flight software; verify performance and robustness through high‑fidelity simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing.
• Design, implement, and improve high‑fidelity 6‑DOF simulation environments for SIL, HIL, and advanced mission analysis.
• Utilize and enhance frequency‑domain and time‑domain control analysis tools to ensure stability margins, disturbance rejection, and performance in off‑nominal conditions.
• Define system‑and‑subsystem‑level GNC requirements, interfaces, and verification plans in collaboration with systems engineering.
• Work cross‑functionally with avionics, propulsion, software, mission operations, and systems teams to ensure seamless integration of GNC functionality.
• Support on‑orbit commissioning, system calibration, maneuver planning, and anomaly resolution throughout mission operations.

Skills

GNC Engineering

Python

C++

Control systems

Simulation development

Attitude dynamics

Orbital mechanics

Software development

Problem solving

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace/Mechanical/Physics

Master's degree in aerospace engineering or related

Tools

Kalman filters

Simulation software

GNC simulation tools

Job description

True Anomaly seeks talented engineers to develop GNC systems for autonomous spacecraft. You will own architecture, algorithms, verification, hardware integration, and on-orbit operations to advance space superiority.

Join a multidisciplinary team across avionics, propulsion, software, and mission operations. Expect work on state estimation, Kalman filtering, and robust flight software with rigorous simulation and testing.