Astrodynamics Software Integration Engineer II

Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!

This role is part of Blue National Security (BNS), where our focus is the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. Through Blue Ring, our all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar-electric and chemical-propelled spacecraft, we provide unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity at dramatically lower-profile costs.

This role is part of Blue National Security (BNS), where our focus is the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. Through Blue Ring, our all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar-electric and chemical-propelled spacecraft, we provide unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity at dramatically lower-profile costs.

You'll join the Astrodynamics and Trajectory Execution (ATX) team, which is responsible for end-to-end trajectory design and ground navigation within In-Space Systems. We are growing ATX to design, navigate, and operate missions to the Moon and Mars while building the software capabilities required for operational deep-space flight dynamics. In this hands-on role, you will mature ATX-developed algorithms into reliable operational capabilities within the Flight Dynamics System (FDS). You will primarily support an assigned mission from development through live flight operations, while building reusable capabilities that scale across the Blue Ring fleet.

Your Impact:

- Integrate Flight Dynamics Capabilities: Integrate ATX algorithms for orbit determination, orbit prediction, maneuver planning, attitude design, and associated automation into the FDS. Ensure rigor, integrity, configuration control, and compatibility with the FDS and its Monte-propagated truth environment.

- Productionize Astrodynamics Algorithms: Work with ATX engineers to mature algorithms from analysis and development into maintainable operational Python and C++ software. Define interfaces, configurations, and data products, and write documentation to support software maintenance and end-user use.

- Verify and Validate Software: Implement unit, integration, regression, and scenario-based testing to verify performance across mission use cases. Support requirement verification and validation (V&V) efforts and ensure software performs to required specifications using independent tools.

- Partner Across ATX and Ground Systems: Work closely with ATX engineers and the Flight Dynamics System software architect to mature integration patterns and ensure ATX capabilities fit within the broader ground-system architecture. Coordinate with mission planning and flight operations teams on operational interfaces and workflows.

- Support Live Flight Operations: Validate integrated capabilities through simulation, test, and mission rehearsals. Maintain operational readiness during mission-critical activities by triaging issues, isolating root causes, and delivering software patches and releases.

- Contribute to Astrodynamics Operations: Perform operational orbit determination and/or mission design processes for an assigned lifecycle mission. Develop analysis software and contribute to flight dynamics products, reviews, rehearsals, and live operations.

- Drive Automation for Fleet Operations: Automate algorithm integration, testing, and flight dynamics workflows as ATX scales from individual missions toward fleet-level operations, including through generative AI where it improves speed and reliability.

- Establish ATX Software Practices: Help establish and sustain team standards for algorithmic software development, testing, code review, configuration control, and lifecycle maintenance.

- Deliver with Agile Discipline: Scope, estimate, and plan work in deliverable increments, using tools such as Jira and git.

Minimum Qualifications:

- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience; M.S. in a related field with 2+ years of relevant experience; or Ph.D. in a related field.

- Strong working knowledge of astrodynamics and orbital mechanics, with applied project, research, or professional experience in either spacecraft mission design, including trajectory analysis and maneuver planning, or orbit determination, including estimation, covariance analysis, or tracking-data processing.

- Demonstrated experience developing, integrating, testing, and maintaining scientific, simulation, autonomy, mission-planning, or operational software in a collaborative codebase, including diagnosing and resolving complex software, algorithm, or data-processing issues.

- Strong proficiency in Python or C++ and working proficiency in the other, including software design, debugging, automated testing, and performance-aware development. Julia experience is a plus.

- Experience with software engineering practices including version control, code review, automated testing, configuration management, and CI/CD or equivalent build-and-test workflows.

- Working knowledge of spacecraft flight dynamics workflows, including orbit determination, orbit prediction, maneuver planning, and the use of configuration-controlled data and models to produce operational products.

- Demonstrated ability to work independently, scope ambiguous technical problems, and deliver results with minimal oversight.

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including collaborating across technical disciplines and authoring technical documentation.

- Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion.

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

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience using the Monte toolkit for trajectory analysis, orbit determination, maneuver planning, or operational flight dynamics, and independent tools such as STK, FreeFlyer, or GMAT for algorithm V&V.

- Experience developing or integrating operational flight dynamics, ground, mission-planning, autonomy, or other mission-critical software systems.

- Experience supporting a production environment, including issue triage, root cause analysis, problem detection and isolation, software patches, and software releases, with a clear understanding of operational risks and impacts.

- Experience supporting mission rehearsals, live spacecraft operations, or other time-critical operational environments, ideally on cislunar or interplanetary missions.

- Experience with radiometric or GPS orbit determination, or with trajectory optimization and maneuver planning and execution, for high-thrust or electric-propulsion missions.

- Experience with DevOps practices and tooling, including configuration control, CI/CD, code review, Jira, git, Docker, Terraform, and Ansible, and with AWS services such as EC2, EKS, S3, MSK, and Aurora.

- Experience communicating effectively across a distributed team.

- Experience using generative AI tools to expedite and automate your workflow.