Spacecraft GNC Engineer - Precision Attitude & Orbit Control

Socket.dev; San Carlos, Seattle (CA, WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance if applicable

Daily lunch in the office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA, is seeking a GNC Engineer to design and implement attitude, navigation, and orbital control algorithms. You will lead modeling, simulation, flight software integration, and on-orbit testing with cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities include high‑fidelity simulations, Kalman filters, and control laws for pointing and maneuvers. The role spans integration with propulsion, hardware, and software to ensure reliable operations from lab to orbit.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in GNC, controls, or related fields.
• Strong fundamentals in dynamics, control theory, and estimation.
• Experience with simulation tools (MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or similar).
• Experience implementing or testing control systems in real-world or simulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for spacecraft attitude and orbit control.
• Build high-fidelity simulations to model spacecraft dynamics, sensors, and actuators.
• Develop state estimation algorithms (e.g., Kalman filters) for navigation and attitude determination.
• Design control laws for pointing, stabilization, and orbital maneuvers.
• Collaborate with propulsion and hardware teams to integrate actuators and sensors into control systems.
• Work with software engineers to implement GNC algorithms into flight software.
• Validate system performance through simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and real-world data.
• Support integration, launch preparation, and on-orbit operations.
• Analyze flight data, troubleshoot anomalies, and improve system performance over time.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions across vehicle and mission design.

Skills

GNC design and controls

Dynamics and control theory

State estimation

Real-world control systems testing

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Advanced degree in Aerospace Engineering (preferred)

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

HIL testing tools

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA, is seeking a GNC Engineer to design and implement attitude, navigation, and orbital control algorithms. You will lead modeling, simulation, flight software integration, and on-orbit testing with cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities include high‑fidelity simulations, Kalman filters, and control laws for pointing and maneuvers. The role spans integration with propulsion, hardware, and software to ensure reliable operations from lab to orbit.