Flight Dynamics Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against a varied and dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities.

A core component of EED are three departments focused on flight dynamics, the Earth Orbit Flight Dynamics Department (EOFDD), the Emerging Missions Flight Dynamics Department (EMFDD), and the RPO Analysis and Integration Department (RAID). These groups provide flight mechanics expertise for launch vehicles, hypersonic vehicles, spacecraft in close proximity, and even out to cislunar space. Relevant skills include orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, trajectory design and optimization, and atmospheric flight modeling and simulation. We are looking for an Engineering Specialist/Senior Engineering Specialist to join one of the Flight Dynamics teams. The selected candidate will provide expertise for a wide range of customer flight mechanics needs, supporting both analysis and research and development requests. The work will require candidates to provide deep technical solutions while also collaborating with engineering partners to facilitate integrated solutions for our customers’ hardest problems. Customers will include defense, intelligence, and civil and commercial organizations.

Work Model

- This position will be a hybrid work model based in El Segundo, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Chantilly, VA; Huntsville, AL; or Albuquerque, NM, with the expectation that the selected candidate will work at least 4 days a week onsite, as business needs allow.

What You’ll Be Doing

Primary Support

- Trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles and spacecraft for missions operating in LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO, and other earth-centric regimes

- Astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation and maneuver design and optimization for orbit transfer, stationkeeping, graveyard, disposal, and reentry events

- Analysis of vehicles with chemical and/or electric propulsion

- Evaluating contested missions applications for space systems to understand threat performance, assess vulnerabilities, and improve system resiliency

- Exploring and defining the evolving Dynamic Space Operations (DSO) mission area

- Maneuver and orbit design, selection, and optimization for missions that support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) objectives with complex operational constraints

- Onboard sensor and state estimation algorithms for proximity guidance and navigation

- Developing Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), exploring Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), and incorporating operational constraints into the design and maturation of space systems

- Providing operational support for nominal launch and spacecraft deployment and transfer sequences, anomaly resolution, and on-call emerging events

- Utilizing optimal control, flight mechanics, and computer science/algorithm development skills to create new capabilities to service customer requests as stand-alone services and/or ready-to-integrate submodules

- Combining AI/ML/RL & metaheuristic techniques with flight mechanics modeling for assessing complex analysis and decision-making in multi-objective trade spaces

- Performing research and development and building new flight dynamics tools to cultivate and maintain a healthy and modern internal tool base

- Leveraging external tools like ASSET, GPOPS-II, SNOPT, POST, OTIS, Copernicus, GMAT, EMTG, etc. where appropriate to augment internally developed capabilities

- Cislunar and exploration-class orbital mechanics analysis and trajectory optimization

- Hypersonics, missiles, interceptors, and reentry vehicle trajectory design and optimization supporting Golden Dome or other related mission areas

- Time-dependent Traveling Salesman Problems and Facility Location Problem (servicer) analysis

- Integrated, multi-disciplinary RPO system simulations

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements for the Engineering Specialist – Flight Mechanics position:

- Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering, physics or applied mathematics, or related disciplines

- Eight or more years of experience in flight mechanics, astrodynamics, maneuver optimization, trajectory optimization, launch vehicle trajectory design, hypersonic vehicle modeling, or general trajectory modeling and simulation

- Proficiency in one or more of the following programming languages and environments: C, C++, Fortran, Python, Linux, and/or MATLAB

- The ability to operate independently, often in the presence of ambiguity, and still deliver high-quality, innovative, and specialized end products to a range of customers

- Willing to travel domestically approx. 10%

- The ability to obtain and maintain a US security clearance (TS clearance (SSBI) with SCI access) is required; U.S citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance

In addition to the above, the minimum requirements for the Senior Engineering Specialist – Flight Mechanics position include:

- Twelve or more years of experience of relevant technical work

- The ability to lead and execute large and sustained technical efforts with vision to propose, scope, and coordinate these efforts across organizational boundaries

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

- Advanced degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering, physics or applied mathematics, or related disciplines is strongly desired

- Graduate level course work, research and/or experience in one or more of the following areas: orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, ascent trajectory modeling, hypersonic flight simulation, optimal control, proximity operations, cislunar trajectory design, tree search algorithms, flight mechanics, and/or trajectory modeling and simulation

- Experience using or building analysis software to combine numerical methods, orbital or flight mechanics, and optimization approaches for launch vehicles, missiles, interceptors, spacecraft, or reentry vehicles (hypersonics)

- Experience with nonlinear programming (non-linear programming), direct methods, gradient-based optimization, parameter optimization, genetic algorithms, evolutionary algorithms, heuristic optimization methods, indirect methods, and/or calculus of variations

- Advanced algorithm development skills to include parallel processing and scripting experience

- Experience with contested space trajectory applications, military exercises, and wargaming events

- Current TS (SSBI), TS/SCI, and/or TS/SAP Access

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.