GNC Engineer (Dragon)

About the role

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

GNC ENGINEER (DRAGON)

As a GNC Engineer on the Dragon team, you will be responsible for performing mission design and implementing new GNC algorithms tailored to crewed and cargo spacecraft operations. You will drive the full-cycle of Dragon missions, from capturing requirements from NASA and commercial partners, through design reviews, simulation and analysis of orbital maneuvers, docking, and reentry profiles, to executing real-time operations from mission control. You help set the industry standard in human spaceflight reliability by supporting launch, rendezvous and docking with the ISS, deorbit and splashdown recovery, and abort system integration for every Dragon mission. This includes supporting all Commercial Resupply Services (CRS), Commercial Crew Program (CCP), private astronaut missions aboard Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon vehicles, as well as the development of the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) for safe ISS disposal, including GNC design for precise deorbit trajectories and end-of-life maneuvering. We are looking for engineers who enjoy solving complex problems, can work effectively in a fast-paced environment, and share our passion for advancing the space industry. This is a high-impact role that contributes to the SpaceX mission of enabling life on multiple planets.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for Crew and Cargo Dragon missions

- Implement new software or algorithms to support mission unique capabilities

- Select flight constants and guidance parameters

- Perform post-flight data review and correlation with analyses for continued improvement of predictions

- Manage mission operations support

- Perform analysis to verify compliance with contractual mission requirements including direct customer interface with NASA

- Test flight software and document analysis and test results with a focus on automation and efficiency of reporting

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or physics

- 1+ years of experience with orbital mechanics, classical dynamics, modeling and simulation (school/class projects and/or internship projects apply)

- 1+ years of experience with software languages C++ and/or Python (school/class projects and/or internship projects apply)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Master’s degree or PhD in physics or an engineering discipline

- 2+ years of professional experience in orbital mechanics, classical dynamics, modeling and simulation, and the software languages C++ and Python

- Demonstrated project or professional experience in launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems