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Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer to join its Space Systems team in Long Beach, CA. In this role, you will design and execute tracking, navigation, maneuver planning, trajectory analysis, and collision avoidance operations for Earth-orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions. You'll work cross-functionally with Systems, Ground Software, Electrical, Avionics, Flight Software, Thermal, Propulsion, and GNC engineering teams to solve complex problems, often under time-critical conditions.
Key responsibilities include: developing and analyzing launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories (ascent, orbit insertion, orbital maneuvers); performing orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis; supporting mission design through launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning; interfacing with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles; generating trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews; contributing to in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure; and supporting real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch data analysis.
Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, Software Engineering, or equivalent; 5+ years in mission design and flight dynamics; understanding of orbital mechanics and orbit determination theory; proficiency with mission analysis tools (STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus, or equivalent); Python software development; Git or equivalent version control; Jira or equivalent project management; Active Secret clearance with ability to obtain TS/SCI; U.S. citizenship required.
Desirable qualifications include Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, active TS/SCI clearance, Monte Carlo simulation experience, orbit determination analysis tools (ODTK, Orekit), team/software project management experience, and ability to work complex problems under pressure.
