Flight Dynamics Software Engineer
About The Position
Loft Orbital is seeking a Flight Dynamics Software Engineer to join its Ground Platform organization. The role involves developing the flight dynamics software stack to support a highly automated, reliable, and safe fleet of more than 50 satellites, while enabling customer missions with demanding orbit determination, stationkeeping, and attitude performance requirements. The position calls for theoretical knowledge of astrodynamics, operational flight-dynamics experience, and software-engineering foundations. The engineer will implement and improve algorithms for orbit determination and propagation, maneuver planning, conjunction assessment, collision avoidance, and attitude modeling. They will contribute to open-source astrodynamics tools used in flight operations and company simulations, and develop and maintain backend applications that compute, store, and serve fleet data such as ephemerides, maneuvers, conjunctions, and target orbits. The role also works with systems and mission engineers to translate technical requirements and customer needs into operational outcomes, and supports satellite operations engineers with astrodynamics expertise during LEOP, anomalies, and conjunction response, including configuring software for customer missions.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in physics or an engineering discipline.
- Deep technical understanding of some of the following: orbital mechanics, state estimation, spacecraft maneuver planning, conjunction assessment, and spacecraft attitude modeling.
- Fundamentals of numerical methods, including solvers, optimization, and simulation techniques.
- Experience designing and developing software libraries and backend services, preferably in Python.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree in physics or an engineering discipline.
- Proficiency with astrodynamics tools such as STK, Astrogator, GMAT, OreKit, Monte, Copernicus, OpenSpaceToolkit, or equivalent.
- Demonstrated practical experience in spacecraft constellation flight dynamics operations.
- Demonstrated practical experience building high-performance backend software applications and/or libraries.
- Ability to solve complex problems in a highly collaborative environment.
Responsibilities
- Implement and improve algorithms for orbit determination, orbit propagation, maneuver planning, conjunction assessment, collision avoidance, and attitude modeling.
- Contribute to open-source astrodynamics tooling used across flight operations and simulation work.
- Develop and maintain in-house flight dynamics ground-software backend applications that compute, store, and serve fleet ephemerides, maneuvers, conjunctions, target orbits, and related data.
- Work with systems and mission engineers to translate technical mission requirements and customer demands into operational outcomes in orbit.
- Provide astrodynamics expertise to satellite operations engineers during LEOP, anomalies, and conjunction response.
- Assist with configuring the flight-dynamics software stack for customer missions.
Benefits
- 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents.
- Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts, including an employer contribution to the HSA.
- 100% employer-paid life, AD&D, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance.
- Flexible Time Off for vacation and sick leave, plus 12 paid holidays.
- 401(k) plan and equity options.
- Daily catered lunches and snacks.
- International exposure to the team in France.
- Fully paid parental leave: 14 weeks for primary caregivers and 10 weeks for secondary caregivers.
- Carrot Fertility benefits with financial support for fertility healthcare and family forming.
- Off-sites, social events, and celebrations.
- Relocation assistance when applicable.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
