Systems Engineer, Spacecraft Operations (RPO)

Anduril Industries, Inc.; Costa Mesa (CA); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Systems Engineer for Spacecraft Operations (RPO) to own how our spacecraft plan, rehearse, and fly close to other objects. You will validate procedures, run simulations, and push operational constraints back into flight designs while those designs can still evolve.

The role requires a strong engineering background and 4+ years in spacecraft operations or flight dynamics, with direct RPO experience and the ability to work across GNC, flight software, and ground

Qualifications

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• 4+ years of professional spacecraft operations, mission planning, or flight dynamics experience
• Direct RPO experience on a flown or near-flight mission: relative orbit design, proximity operations, maneuver planning
• Experience taking a spacecraft through pre-launch operational readiness: AI&T support, procedure validation, mission rehearsals, day-in-the-life testing
• Ability to understand and navigate complex systems and detailed requirements
• Capable of solving complex technical problems with little oversight
• Clear written communication, including procedures, flight rules, and training material

Responsibilities

• Design and own RPO mission plans: relative motion design, approach and hold-point sequencing, delta-V budgets
• Build passive safety into every approach
• Author flight rules and procedures for close approach: keep-out volume, gates, abort criteria
• Own mission operations plans across all phases: LEOP, commissioning, on-orbit checkout
• Drive pre-launch campaign from ops side: day-in-the-life and mission rehearsals, inject failures
• Validate procedures and command sequences on flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds

Skills

Spacecraft operations

Mission planning

Flight dynamics

Pre-launch operations

Procedures validation

GNC/flight software

Problem solving

Clear communication

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

STK/Astrogator

ODTK

MATLAB

Simulink

Python

Linux

Job description

Systems Engineer, Spacecraft Operations (RPO)

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril's Space team is expanding our AI-powered capabilities into the final frontier, enhancing Space
Domain Awareness, Space Control, and Command and Control for U.S. military and allied partners.
We're developing fully integrated hardware and software systems, including Lattice for Space Missions
and modular payloads, to address growing threats in space and ensure our Guardians maintain a
decisive advantage in this contested war-fighting domain.

ABOUT THE JOB

Rendezvous and proximity operations are where spacecraft operations stop being a checklist and start
being a craft. You own that craft at Anduril.As a Spacecraft Operations Systems Engineer for RPO, you own how our spacecraft plan, rehearse, and
fly close to other objects.

You'll do this work well before launch. RPO campaigns are won in AI&T, on the flatsat, and in the
rehearsals, not just on-console. You'll validate procedures against hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, build
and run day-in-the-life and contingency sims, and push ops constraints back into the GNC, flight
software, and ground software designs while those designs can still change.
This role is directly tied to ongoing programs within Anduril's Space Business Line. We work with mission
partners and customers to deploy reliable and robust capabilities on operationally-relevant fielding
timelines to meet complex challenges across the DoD and IC.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Design and own RPO mission plans: relative motion design, approach and hold-point
  sequencing, delta-V budgets, and the timeline that ties them to comm passes, lighting, and
  ground contact
• Build passive safety into every approach, so that a missed burn, a dropped pass, or an off-
  nominal state doesn't put the vehicle on a collision trajectory
• Author the flight rules and procedures that govern close approach: keep-out volume
  enforcement, go/no-go gates, abort and breakout criteria, custody handoffs, and conjunction
  screening against both the target and third parties
• Own the mission operations plans and procedures for spacecraft programs across all phases,
  including LEOP, commissioning, on-orbit checkout, and operations
• Drive the pre-launch campaign from the ops side: write and run day-in-the-life and mission
  rehearsals, inject the failures, and turn every finding into a procedure change or a design change
• Work with AI&T as the operations voice, validating procedures and command sequences on
  flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds before they touch flight hardware
• Feed operational constraints back into GNC, flight software, ground software, and comms
  design
• Create and analyze the metrics used to debug and monitor vehicle and campaign performance
• Triage anomalies, root cause failures, and coordinate next steps under time pressure
• Train operators and mission crews on Anduril spacecraft and on RPO execution specifically
• Support demanding schedules during ground testing, launch windows, and on-orbit operations
• Work with other teams and government agencies to obtain required licenses (FCC, NOAA) and
  comply with regulations for operating spacecraft, including proximity operations coordination

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Strong engineering background from industry or school, ideally in Aerospace Engineering,
  Astrodynamics, Computer Science, or another engineering field
• 4+ years of professional spacecraft operations, mission planning, or flight dynamics experience
• Direct RPO experience on a flown or near-flight mission, on either the planning or execution
  side: relative orbit design, proximity operations trajectory planning, maneuver planning and
  reconstruction, or close-approach execution on console
• Experience taking a spacecraft through pre-launch operational readiness: AI&T support,
  procedure validation, mission rehearsals, day-in-the-life testing, and operational readiness
  reviews
• Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex systems and detailed requirements
• Capable of solving complex technical problems with little oversight
• Clear written communication, including procedures, flight rules, and training material

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience on on-orbit servicing, inspection, docking, or refueling missions
• Experience with autonomous or onboard relative navigation, including vision-based or optical
  relative nav
• Experience with conjunction assessment and space traffic coordination
• Experience operating government, DoD, or IC spacecraft
• Experience with STK/Astrogator, ODTK, MATLAB, or Simulink
• Experience with Python and Linux systems
• Experience with testing and validation on flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds
• Exposure to ground station operations and providers
• A desire to work on critical software in the space domain

US Salary Range

$146,000 - $194,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Anduril Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.