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Salary: USD 132,000 - 198,000 / annual
Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer I to join its Space Systems team in Long Beach, CA. In this role, you will perform tracking, navigation, maneuver, trajectory planning, and collision avoidance design and operations for Earth orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions. You will work as part of a dynamic team with subject matter experts across Systems, Ground Software, Electrical, Avionics, Flight Software, Thermal, Propulsion, and GNC engineering disciplines, solving complex problems often under time-critical conditions.
Key responsibilities include:
- Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories, including ascent, orbit insertion, and orbital maneuvers
- Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis for spacecraft operations
- Support mission design including launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning
- Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles
- Generate and deliver trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews
- Contribute to development of in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure
- Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch data analysis
Rocket Lab has enabled more than 1,700 missions ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, or Software Engineering, or equivalent Engineering or Applied Physics degree
- 5+ years of experience in mission design and flight dynamics
- Understanding of orbital mechanics and orbit determination theory
- Mission analysis experience with STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus, or equivalent tools
- Python software development
- Git version control or equivalent version control system
- Jira software project management or equivalent
- Active Secret clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain one
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements and ITAR regulations
NICE-TO-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field
- Active TS/SCI clearance
- Monte Carlo numerical simulation experience
- Orbit determination analysis with ODTK, Orekit, or equivalent
- Team and/or software project management experience
- Ability to work complex problems under time pressure
- Ability to prioritize tasks in consultation with multiple stakeholders
