Spacecraft Operations Engineer II — Automation & Mission Control

Socket.dev; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 82,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Littleton, CO is seeking a Spacecraft Operations Engineer II. You will manage the health, safety and performance of a growing satellite fleet for commercial and government missions, coordinating with software, propulsion and ground teams.

The role covers commissioning, orbit raising, routine operations and re-entry, with on-call shifts and cross-site collaboration between Auckland, Littleton and Long Beach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (any engineering field).
• 2+ years in space mission design, satellite subsystems, or related areas.
• Knowledge of attitude control, power systems, space-ground comms, and data handling.
• Understanding of space environment, orbital mechanics.
• Software experience (Python, Ruby, C/C++).

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain health and performance of satellite fleet.
• Support commissioning, orbit raising, routine operations, and re-entry.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across design, software, propulsion, and ground systems.
• Develop test methods and data analysis for mission objectives.
• Maintain CI/CD for operational code and test automation.

Skills

Python

Spacecraft systems

C/C++

US citizenship

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

Rocket Lab in Littleton, CO is seeking a Spacecraft Operations Engineer II. You will manage the health, safety and performance of a growing satellite fleet for commercial and government missions, coordinating with software, propulsion and ground teams.

The role covers commissioning, orbit raising, routine operations and re-entry, with on-call shifts and cross-site collaboration between Auckland, Littleton and Long Beach.