Spacecraft GNC Engineer II

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Spacecraft GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems of operational spacecraft.

You will develop GNC flight and simulation software, perform analyses, and support mission operations while growing toward a senior GNC role at Firefly. Hands-on work includes attitude determination, onboard navigation, and real-time mission operations across multiple spacecraft.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or related field.
• 2-5 years of professional experience in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control or related field.
• Understanding of spacecraft orbital mechanics, dynamics, state estimation, attitude dynamics, and sensor modeling.
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization.
• Experience with C++ for real-time or flight-critical applications.
• Knowledge of software development best practices including Git, documentation, and testing.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure successful spacecraft mission execution.
• Tune and configure GNC algorithms for all phases of spacecraft flight.
• Perform 6DOF simulation analysis of nominal and dispersed flight profiles.
• Develop and maintain simulation models for sensors, actuators, and environmental effects.
• Create tools to automate workflows, process simulation and flight data, and generate technical reports.
• Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of GNC under nominal and off-nominal conditions.
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate GNC software with spacecraft hardware.
• Serve as a GNC console operator for spacecraft operations and post-mission analysis.
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports communicating GNC concepts to diverse audiences.
• Build proficiency across core GNC competencies and improve processes and tools.

Skills

Python scripting

C++

Git version control

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering

Tools

Linux

Job description

About Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24‑hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

About Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24‑hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

Summary

As a Spacecraft GNC Engineer at Firefly, you will design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems of operational spacecraft. In this role, you will develop GNC flight and simulation software, perform analyses, and support mission operations while continuing to build breadth across core GNC competencies. This position offers hands‑on experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control systems, onboard navigation, sensor and actuator modeling, and real‑time mission operations across multiple spacecraft. You will deepen your technical capabilities and refine your desired career trajectory, taking ownership of system elements and software tools as you grow toward a senior GNC role at Firefly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure successful spacecraft mission execution
• Tune and configure GNC algorithms for all phases of spacecraft flight
• Perform 6DOF simulation analysis of nominal and dispersed flight profiles
• Develop and maintain simulation models for sensors, actuators, and environmental effects
• Create tools to automate workflows, process simulation and flight data, and generate technical reports
• Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of GNC under nominal and off‑nominal conditions
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate GNC software with spacecraft hardware
• Serve as a GNC console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post‑mission analysis to improve spacecraft models
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate GNC concepts and results to diverse audiences
• Build proficiency across core GNC competencies while contributing to continuous improvement of GNC processes and tools

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or related field
• 2-5 years of professional experience in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control, or related technical discipline
• Understanding of spacecraft orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics, state estimation, attitude dynamics, and sensor modeling
• Familiarity with numerical simulation techniques, integration methods, and modeling of dynamic systems
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization
• Experience with C++ for real‑time or flight‑critical applications
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desired

• Advanced degree (master's or PhD) in aerospace engineering or related field with focus on GNC
• Experience supporting spacecraft GNC across development, integration, and mission operations
• Proficiency in C++ for embedded systems or real‑time applications
• Knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis
• Knowledge of numerical optimization and targeting methods applied to attitude and translational control design
• Familiarity with modern flight software frameworks and real‑time operating systems
• Familiarity with CI/CD workflows and automated testing practices
• Experience with Linux development environments and command‑line tools
• Exposure to spaceflight mission operations or spacecraft commissioning

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, relocation benefits, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.