Starfall GNC Engineer: Orbital Entry & Reentry Precision

SpaceX; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term incentives

Medical, vision, dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation and holidays

Disability and life insurance

Job summary

SpaceX is hiring a GNC Engineer for the Starfall program in Hawthorne, CA. You will develop and deploy production-grade GNC algorithms, simulations, and tools in C++ or Python, contributing to entry guidance, navigation, and control for logistics and in-space manufacturing missions.

You will review architectures, analyze flight data, write technical docs, and support multi-vehicle coordination while advancing commercial space applications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, aerospace, physics or an engineering discipline; 1+ years of software development in C++ or Python.

Responsibilities

• Develop reliable GNC algorithms, simulations, tools, services, and dashboards in C++ or Python.
• Participate in architecture, design, and code reviews.
• Analyze large data sets from Starfall flights, simulations, and operations.
• Write high-quality technical documentation for programs, algorithms, or analyses.
• Design trajectories for entry, guidance, and optimization.
• Work on atmospheric entry, descent, and landing algorithms.
• Perform state estimation for reentry and recovery.
• Execute attitude determination and control across flight phases.
• Coordinate multi-vehicle logistics delivery and recovery.
• Simulate and evaluate entry systems under varied conditions.
• Integrate GNC with vehicle systems for defense and in-space manufacturing missions.

Skills

Orbital mechanics

Control theory

State estimation

Spacecraft design

Atmospheric entry

Optimization

Software development

C++

Python

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, aerospace, physics or an engineering discipline

Job description

SpaceX is hiring a GNC Engineer for the Starfall program in Hawthorne, CA. You will develop and deploy production-grade GNC algorithms, simulations, and tools in C++ or Python, contributing to entry guidance, navigation, and control for logistics and in-space manufacturing missions.

You will review architectures, analyze flight data, write technical docs, and support multi-vehicle coordination while advancing commercial space applications.