Deep Space Mission Design Engineer III

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.

Blue Origin's In-Space Systems business unit operates spacecraft across some of the most demanding regimes in spaceflight, from geostationary orbit to cislunar space and interplanetary destinations. Blue Ring, our multi-mission space vehicle, is expanding where we fly and what our mission design capabilities must do.

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 fly missions to the Moon and Mars using high-thrust and low-thrust propulsion, and to build an operational deep-space mission design capability from the ground up. In this hands-on role, you will independently own significant portions of the mission design process for an entire mission, spanning analysis, software development, and live flight operations, helping shape how our team designs trajectories for years to come.

Your Impact:

- Own Lifecycle Mission Design: Drive mission design through mission-level requirements, gated reviews, mission rehearsals, and flight operations. Author trajectory design reports, maneuver plans, and operations procedures.

- Design and Optimize Trajectories: Design and optimize high-thrust and low-thrust trajectories, including lunar transfers, libration point and multi-body orbits, lunar frozen and low lunar orbits, interplanetary cruise, planetary capture, interplanetary low-thrust transfers, and many-revolution spirals, accounting for tracking geometry and navigation performance.

- Fly Deep Space Missions: Design deterministic, trajectory correction, statistical, orbit insertion, and station-keeping maneuvers from launch through end of mission. Perform live maneuver operations, making maneuver-readiness recommendations under real-time constraints, and partner with navigators to incorporate orbit determination solutions into targeting and assess burn performance.

- Define Launch Periods and Mission Timelines: Determine launch periods and deliver daily launch targets through the launch vehicle interface control document. Own the trajectory-driven timelines that anchor mission CONOPS.

- Own Delta-V Budgets and Mission Performance: Maintain deterministic, statistical, and margin delta-v allocations across high-thrust and low-thrust phases that result in feasible mission architectures. Lead trajectory contributions to performance analysis cycles that verify and validate mission requirements, using ATX's AWS-powered Monte Carlo capability.

- Develop Maneuver Algorithms and Tools: Develop and test trajectory and maneuver algorithms in Python, Julia, and Monte. Partner with the flight dynamics software architect to infuse them into ATX's Monte-based flight dynamics system.

- Drive Automation: Automate trajectory design, maneuver planning, and analysis workflows as ATX scales toward fleet-level operations, including through generative AI.

- Collaborate and Grow the Team: Work with ATX, propulsion, systems engineering, flight operations, and launch provider teams. Represent mission design in reviews, and mentor junior mission designers.

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

Minimum Qualifications:

- M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with 5+ years of relevant experience, or a Ph.D. with 3+ years of relevant experience.

- Strong working knowledge of astrodynamics and orbital mechanics, with demonstrated experience designing spacecraft trajectories and high-thrust maneuvers, including impulsive maneuver design and targeting.

- Demonstrated experience applying low-thrust trajectory optimization through research, mission studies, or flight projects, using methods such as optimal control theory, direct and indirect methods, multiple shooting, or nonlinear programming.

- Proficiency in at least one of Python, Julia, or C++, with experience developing and testing analysis or operational software.

- Applied experience with trajectory design tools such as Monte, Copernicus, EMTG, FreeFlyer, GMAT, or STK/Astrogator.

- Experience supporting spacecraft mission operations, mission rehearsals, or comparable time-critical operational environments.

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

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including presenting technical results in design reviews 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:

- Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

- Experience designing cislunar or interplanetary trajectories, including multi-body dynamics, libration point orbits, lunar orbits, or planetary capture.

- Experience designing interplanetary low-thrust transfers or many-revolution spirals on a flight project in formulation, development, or operations.

- Applied experience in the Monte toolkit, including infusing algorithms into operational flight dynamics software.

- Experience with trajectory dispersion analysis, Monte Carlo methods, and statistical maneuver analysis.

- End-to-end mission lifecycle experience (SRR, PDR, CDR, ORR, rehearsals), including live maneuver operations during mission-critical events, ideally on a deep-space mission.

- Experience owning a mission design product for a mission phase, such as launch targets, a maneuver plan, or an operations procedure.

- Experience mentoring engineers and communicating effectively across a distributed team

- Experience with DevOps practices and tooling, including configuration control, CI/CD, code review, Jira, git, Docker, Terraform, and Ansible.

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

- Current TS/SCI clearance with polygraph, or willingness to obtain and maintain one. This role is tailored for deep-space mission design primarily supporting civil missions in Mars and cislunar space, but candidates with clearance may have opportunities to contribute across the full range of ATX mission work long-term.