Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer
Astranis
Astranis is on a mission to bridge the digital divide by connecting the four billion people worldwide who currently lack internet access. We're doing this by building the next generation of smaller, more cost-effective spacecraft to bring the world online.
As a team, we’ve launched two satellites into orbit, signed ten commercial deals worth over $1 billion in revenue, raised over $500 million from top global investors, and recruited a team of over 300 world-class engineers. We all work out of our (legendary) San Francisco office, which was once used to build ships during the World Wars.
Our satellites, which operate from geostationary orbit (GEO), weigh only 400 kg and utilize a proprietary software-defined radio payload. Each satellite can connect over two million people, and we’re very excited for the impact we’ll soon have in the Philippines, Peru, Mexico, and more!
Backed by substantial funding and a passionate, collaborative team, we offer a rewarding work environment where you'll learn and make a significant impact, no matter where you are in your career.
Apply and join us on our journey towards global connectivity!
As a Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer for Astranis, you contribute efforts to design, implement, and test algorithms to control the position and orientation of our satellites. Additionally, you will work across both software and hardware systems while overseeing the simulation and analysis of algorithms to validate and verify their effectiveness and robustness.
This role will contribute to both commercial and US Government Programs.
Role
- Work within the Guidance, Navigation, and Control team to design, build, test, and operate satellite software and hardware
- Software development including flight algorithms, simulation framework, and environmental models
- System design including make/buy trades, component selection, system sizing, and pointing budgets
- Hardware development including managing internal component build, external vendors, and subassembly bring-up and testing
- Validation and verification through software simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, and hardware in the loop testing
- Integration and test support
- Concept of operations development, mission planning, and flight operation support
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in a technical discipline (e.g. engineering, CS, physics) with a focus on control systems, orbital mechanics, or similar
- 2+ years industry experience working with Guidance, Navigation, and Control systems on spacecraft
- Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and testing control systems
- Demonstrated experience modeling flexible body dynamics and mitigating their effects through system design and control systems
- Familiarity with processing sensor data and with sensor fusion techniques (e.g. extended Kalman filters)
- Demonstrated experience in coding and developing 6-DOF simulations or flight software
- A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and doing hands-on design/development
- Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware and/or software from scratch
- Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria
Bonus
- Experience with low thrust trajectories
- Experience with geostationary spacecraft operations
- Experience with spacecraft propulsion
- Experience with hardware in the loop simulation
- Experience implementing algorithms for embedded systems
- Experience with Python (Numpy, Scipy), C++, and Git
What we offer: