GN&C Guidance and Flight Controls Engineer – Lunar Permanence Verified today

About the role

Join the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) team within Blue Origin's Lunar Permanence business unit. You will develop guidance algorithms, control laws, and flight software for spacecraft traveling from Earth to the Moon. Your work will include prototyping algorithms, conducting trade studies for trajectory guidance and control architectures, and performing stability analyses using classical and modern approaches.

You will collaborate closely with other subsystems and spacecraft systems engineers to define subsystem boundaries, interfaces, and technical performance measures.

What you will do

• Derive spacecraft guidance designs from mission level trajectory designs
• Coordinate performance requirements between GN&C and mission planning
• Develop and maintain guidance algorithms for orbital maneuvers in Earth and cis-lunar orbits, including rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD)
• Develop and sustain flight control algorithms for complex spacecraft missions
• Perform trade studies for efficient and robust maneuver targeting sequences, including nominal and contingency maneuvers
• Collaborate with communication, propulsion, structures, fluids, and mechanisms subsystems on system-level design
• Develop and maintain software for flight systems and simulations
• Integrate and test software in SIL and HIL environments
• Implement controls algorithms and subsystem models in 6-DOF simulation using Rust, C/C++, and Python
• Develop toolsets for automated requirements, configuration, and performance analyses
• Support internal and external reviews with data products and reports

Minimum qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering or Physics with 12+ years experience, or M.S. with 10+ years experience
• Deep knowledge of astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, attitude kinematics and dynamics
• Subject matter expertise in spacecraft guidance, including maneuver planning, targeting, and optimization
• Background in GN&C algorithm development for flight and attitude control using classical and modern control methods
• Knowledge of frequency domain analysis techniques
• Understanding of controller stability derivatives and stability margins with respect to spacecraft dynamics, flexible body dynamics, and slosh dynamics
• Demonstrated experience with control law design for aerospace vehicles
• Familiarity with development of requirements, interfaces, trades and analyses for aerospace GN&C applications
• Understanding of the relationship between attitude control, vehicle configuration, spacecraft dynamics, actuators, sensors, and automation
• Hands-on development with C/C++
• Experience with collaboration tools such as Gitlab, Confluence, and JIRA
• Strong grasp of software and data configuration management techniques and tools
• Excellent technical written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of safety

Preferred qualifications

• Ph.D. focused on spacecraft guidance, trajectory optimization, or dynamics and controls
• Proven experience in development, implementation and testing of GN&C systems for aerospace vehicles
• Proven technical experience through the full lifecycle of system development
• Proficiency in control methods such as PID, Phase-Plane, H-Infinity, Lead and Lag Compensators, Dynamic Inversion
• Experience designing flight control systems with reaction control systems (RCS), thrust vector control (TVC), or electric propulsion
• Experience with spacecraft control system design for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations and Docking (RPOD)
• Experience providing GN&C support during on-orbit mission operations
• Experience with Monte Carlo simulations, hardware-in-the-loop, and software-in-the-loop testing
• Prior experience in software development following NASA NPR 7150.2D or FAA DO-178C standards
• Experience with NASA software, simulation tools, and environments (Trick/JEOD/cFS)
• Experience with validation and verification approaches such as software unit testing, system simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Experience with full-lifecycle software development from requirements definition through deployment
• Experience coding in Rust

Compensation

Base pay range for Colorado applicants: $181,626.00 - $254,275.35. Base pay range for Washington applicants: $197,529.00 - $276,539.55. Other site ranges may differ.

Employment requirements

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Background check required for all positions.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision insurance
• Basic and supplemental life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Short and long-term disability
• 401(k) with company match up to 5%
• Stock options for regular employees (20+ hours/week)
• Up to four weeks paid time off per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Education Support Program