Guidance, Navigation, and Mission Design EngineerLocation: Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
Remote/Telework: Full-time on-site position at Kennedy Space Center
Clearance Required: Must be a U.S. Citizen and successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation
Work Schedule: Full-Time
Contingency: This position is contingent upon customer approval.
Position SummaryAegis Aerospace is seeking a
Guidance, Navigation, and Mission Design Engineer to support NASA's Deep Space Logistics Engineering Support contract at Kennedy Space Center. This position supports NASA in reviewing and assessing commercial provider activities and internal studies related to cargo and payload delivery to the lunar surface, cislunar space, and other Deep Space Logistics missions.
Under the Deep Space Logistics Engineering Support contract, employees provide engineering support to NASA in the review and assessment of requirements, design, analysis, testing, verification, validation, integration, mission preparation, and operations.
The Guidance, Navigation, and Mission Design Engineer will support spacecraft GN&C and mission-design activities through modeling, simulation, technical analysis, software development, and verification and validation. The engineer will work with NASA personnel and other technical disciplines to evaluate spacecraft attitude, orbit, trajectory, navigation, and mission-performance requirements.
Key ResponsibilitiesThe candidate will:
- Support the development and assessment of spacecraft GN&C and mission-design requirements, analyses, models, and technical products.
- Develop, modify, and maintain spacecraft modeling and simulation tools using Python, MATLAB, C++, or similar programming languages.
- Develop and execute attitude, orbit, trajectory, and 6-degree-of-freedom simulations to evaluate spacecraft and mission performance.
- Perform trajectory and orbital analyses supporting mission feasibility studies, mission planning, vehicle-performance assessments, and operational trade studies.
- Evaluate spacecraft pointing accuracy, attitude knowledge, maneuver performance, navigation performance, and related GN&C requirements.
- Perform simulation-based verification and validation using software-in-the-loop, Monte Carlo, regression-testing, and other analysis methods.
- Support analysis and testing of spacecraft GN&C sensors, actuators, flight software, and associated interfaces.
- Assist with trade studies involving spacecraft trajectories, orbit selection, attitude profiles, sensors, actuators, mission operations, and system-performance considerations.
- Support trajectory and mission analyses for lunar, cislunar, rendezvous, proximity-operations, docking, and other Deep Space Logistics mission scenarios.
- Review technical data, test results, requirements-verification evidence, and provider analyses for consistency with mission and system requirements.
- Identify technical issues or discrepancies and assist in developing recommendations for resolution.
- Support spacecraft mission operations, flight-performance analysis, sensor calibration, and anomaly investigation as needed.
- Prepare analysis results, engineering documentation, technical presentations, and recommendations for NASA customers and project stakeholders.
- Coordinate with personnel across GN&C, mission design, flight software, avionics, systems engineering, and mission operations.
- Participate in technical reviews, system reviews, control boards, and provider-development meetings.
- Travel as required in support of technical reviews and exchanges.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited institution.
- Relevant academic, internship, research, or professional experience in spacecraft GN&C, orbital mechanics, mission analysis, spacecraft modeling and simulation, flight dynamics, or spacecraft operations.
- Experience developing or using spacecraft attitude, orbit, trajectory, or 6-degree-of-freedom simulations.
- Experience with programming and engineering-analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB/Simulink, or C++.
- Working knowledge of spacecraft attitude dynamics, orbital mechanics, and mission-analysis principles.
- Experience with requirements development, verification and validation, simulation-based testing, or engineering analysis.
- Ability to analyze technical problems, document results, and communicate engineering findings and recommendations.
- Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary environment consisting of NASA civil servants, contractor personnel, commercial providers, and technical specialists.
- Strong organizational, written communication, and oral communication skills.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen and successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation.
Desired Qualifications- Master's degree in aerospace engineering or a related discipline with an emphasis in spacecraft dynamics, orbital mechanics, GN&C, or mission design.
- Experience with spacecraft simulation and mission-analysis tools such as STK, GMAT, Basilisk, FreeFlyer, Copernicus, MONTE, POST2, or similar software.
- Experience performing orbital trade studies, trajectory analysis, mission feasibility assessments, or spacecraft-performance analysis.
- Experience with spacecraft sensors, actuators, attitude-control systems, navigation systems, or flight software.
- Experience with software-in-the-loop or hardware-in-the-loop testing, Monte Carlo analysis, sensor calibration, or spacecraft component testing.
- Experience with spacecraft integration, verification and validation, mission operations, flight-performance analysis, or anomaly investigation.
- Knowledge of non-GPS navigation, rendezvous and proximity operations, docking, lunar, cislunar, or deep-space mission concepts.
- Experience with NASA cFE/cFS or another spacecraft flight-software framework.
- Familiarity with NASA organizations, processes, and systems-engineering standards, including NPR 7123 and NPR 7120.
- Experience supporting NASA, commercial spaceflight providers, or human-rated spaceflight programs.
