Spacecraft GNC Engineer II: Attitude & Navigation

firefly; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is seeking a Spacecraft GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate GNC systems for operational spacecraft. You will develop GNC flight software, perform analyses, and support mission operations while building breadth across core GNC competencies.

The role offers hands-on experience with attitude determination, onboard navigation, sensor/actuator modeling, and real-time mission operations.

Qualifications

• B.S. in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or related field.
• 2–5 years of spacecraft GNC or related experience.
• Understanding of orbital mechanics, state estimation, attitude dynamics.
• Python scripting and C++ development.
• Git and software development practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software for spacecraft missions.
• Tune GNC algorithms for all flight phases.
• Perform 6DOF simulation analysis of nominal and dispersed profiles.
• Model sensors, actuators, and environmental effects.
• Create tools to automate workflows and generate technical reports.
• Interface with cross-disciplinary teams for integration.
• Operate GNC console during spacecraft operations.
• Write technical documentation and analysis reports.
• Improve GNC processes and tools.

Skills

GNC

Python

C++

Orbital mechanics

Sensor modeling

Team communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Firefly Aerospace, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is seeking a Spacecraft GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate GNC systems for operational spacecraft. You will develop GNC flight software, perform analyses, and support mission operations while building breadth across core GNC competencies.

The role offers hands-on experience with attitude determination, onboard navigation, sensor/actuator modeling, and real-time mission operations.