Spacecraft Operations Engineer II — Automation & Flight Ops

Rocket Lab Corp.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted employee stock purchase

EV charging stations

Onsite gym

Food and drinks

Other discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Spacecraft Operations Engineer II/Senior to ensure health, safety and optimal performance of a growing satellite fleet. You’ll work with design, AIT, flight software, propulsion, GNC and ground software to meet mission objectives across commercial and government customers.

The role includes commissioning, orbit raising, routine ops and possible re-entry support, with collaboration across Rocket Lab’s Space Systems teams to advance both ground and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (software, computer, electrical, aerospace, mechanical, or other technical engineering discipline)
• 2+ years of direct experience in space mission design, satellite subsystems, ground systems, spacecraft command control or spacecraft operations
• Understanding of key spacecraft subsystems and their components including attitude determination and control, electrical power, space-ground communications, on-orbit command & data handling, and thermal control
• Understanding of the space environment, orbital mechanics, and rigid body dynamics
• Software development experience (Python, Ruby, C, C++)
• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance with TS eligibility

Responsibilities

• Leverage automation to operate spacecraft with software-driven mission execution
• Design, develop and test ground software for long-term space operations
• Design, develop and test flight software sequences and telemetry configurations for health and fault management
• Maintain continuous integration and testing of operational code
• Ensure on-call or shift coverage for operations
• Develop test methods and data analysis
• Develop interface specs, CONOPS, and design docs
• Support AIT teams across multiple spacecraft tests (TVAC, propulsion stack, DITL)
• Perform requirements validation and verification for subsystems and missions
• Create and manage spacecraft mission requirements and dispositions
• Provide program and product support to team leads and managers; liaison between Auckland and Long Beach teams

Skills

Python

C/C++

Ruby

Space mission design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

GIT

CI/CD

Cloud infrastructure

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Spacecraft Operations Engineer II/Senior to ensure health, safety and optimal performance of a growing satellite fleet. You’ll work with design, AIT, flight software, propulsion, GNC and ground software to meet mission objectives across commercial and government customers.

The role includes commissioning, orbit raising, routine ops and possible re-entry support, with collaboration across Rocket Lab’s Space Systems teams to advance both ground and