Mission Simulation Engineer III

BLUE ORIGIN • Los Angeles, CA

1d • $110,938 - $169,432 • Onsite

About The Position

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! Blue Origin is pioneering the future of space-based communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide. As a member of the TeraWave integrated system modelling team, you will play a foundational role in the development of an integrated mission simulation model that captures the full-system behavior of the TeraWave satellite constellation. TeraWave is a satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations. The integrated mission simulation model you help build will serve as a critical program-wide tool used to analyze, optimize, and validate constellation performance from early design through deployment and operations. As a Mission Simulation Engineer III, you will take a lead role in implementing and continuously improving an integrated simulation framework spanning orbital mechanics, spacecraft power modeling, payload beam assignments, traffic routing, and payload utilization. You will collaborate closely with fleet management, mission operations, payload, power, network, and GNC engineering teams to ensure each simulation domain accurately reflects flight system behavior. A key focus of this role will be developing analysis and optimization capabilities to extract maximum performance and coverage value from the constellation while minimizing system cost, as well as modeling constellation deployment phases and build-up timelines that inform program planning and architecture decisions. The simulation scope spans both RF and optical link domains, including inter-satellite links and ground-to-space links, requiring candidates to be comfortable reasoning across both link types. Successful candidates will bring deep technical expertise in astrodynamics and spacecraft systems engineering, paired with strong software development skills to build scalable, high-fidelity simulation environments. A preferred candidate will have experience working across satellite bus and payload disciplines with a demonstrated ability to integrate physics-based and performance-based models into a coherent, maintainable simulation framework that directly informs constellation design decisions.

Requirements

• Minimum of a master's degree in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, applied mathematics, or equivalent technical field.
• 5+ years of related experience (including graduate work) in spacecraft systems engineering, mission analysis, or constellation simulation, with demonstrated hands-on expertise in astrodynamics and orbital mechanics.
• Proficiency in simulation development and scripting tools such as Python, MATLAB, or C++, with experience building and maintaining complex multi-physics or multi-domain models.
• Experience developing or integrating simulation models spanning at least two of the following domains: orbital mechanics, RF or optical link performance, spacecraft power systems, or network traffic modeling.
• Familiarity with satellite link budget analysis, beam coverage modeling, and payload performance metrics across RF and optical communications links.
• Working knowledge of spacecraft power system fundamentals including solar array performance, battery modeling, and power mode management.
• Ability to read and interpret interface control documents, systems requirements documents, and engineering specifications across multiple disciplines.
• Ability to perform data analysis and reduction and present technical information in a clear and compelling visual format.
• Strong safety demeanor and experience working within rigorous engineering processes.
• Excellent verbal, written, and graphical communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.

Nice To Haves

• Successful candidates in this role typically have 10+ years in spacecraft mission analysis, constellation systems engineering, or integrated simulation development for non-spacecraft systems of similar complexity.
• Experience with orbit optimization methods and their application to large-scale constellation design, including coverage optimization, phasing strategies, and cost-driven architecture trades.
• Working knowledge of satellite network routing architectures including inter-satellite links (ISL), ground station connectivity, and traffic management protocols.
• Familiarity with optimization techniques or scheduling algorithms applied to satellite resource management, beam assignment, or constellation operations.
• Experience modeling constellation deployment sequences, launch campaign planning, and incremental capability build-up.
• Background in LEO or MEO large-scale constellation design, deployment sequencing, or on-orbit operations.
• Leadership or management experience as well as a history of mentoring junior engineers.
• Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, applied mathematics, or a closely related field with a thesis topic relevant to astrodynamics, mission analysis, or satellite systems simulation.

Responsibilities

• Take a lead role in implementing, maintaining, and continuously improving the TeraWave integrated mission simulation model within the integrated systems modelling team.
• Develop and maintain high-fidelity orbital mechanics models including orbit propagation, constellation geometry, station-keeping maneuvers, and coverage analysis.
• Develop and apply orbit optimization methodologies to maximize coverage, capacity, and payload utilization while minimizing constellation system cost and operational complexity.
• Build and integrate beam assignment and payload scheduling models that reflect realistic antenna patterns, coverage footprints, and link performance constraints across both RF and optical link domains.
• Develop simulation capabilities for both inter-satellite links (ISL) and ground-to-space links, spanning RF and optical link types, including link budget and availability modeling.
• Develop traffic routing and load utilization models that simulate end-to-end data flow across the constellation under realistic and stressing demand scenarios.
• Develop and maintain spacecraft power models capturing solar array generation, battery cycling, and power consumption across all operational modes.
• Model constellation deployment phases and build-up timelines to support program planning, architecture trades, and early operations analysis.
• Collaborate with fleet management, mission operations, payload, power, network, and GNC engineering teams to ensure simulation inputs and fidelity levels are consistent with subsystem designs and interface definitions.
• Engage with the GNC team to ensure orbital mechanics modeling assumptions, attitude control constraints, and maneuver planning are accurately reflected within the integrated simulation framework.
• Partner with systems engineering teams to define and validate constellation-level performance requirements through simulation-based analysis.
• Define and support simulation verification and validation approaches, including benchmarking against analytical models, heritage data, and in-orbit telemetry as it becomes available.
• Develop workflows and tooling to support parametric trade studies and sensitivity analyses that directly inform constellation architecture and design decisions.
• Partner with business and product teams to translate simulation outputs — including coverage availability, capacity margins, and service continuity metrics — into inputs that drive revenue modeling and define viable commercial service tiers and offerings.
• Communicate simulation methodology, assumptions, and results clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders through written reports, presentations, and data visualizations.
• Maintain simulation software infrastructure including version control, documentation, and regression testing frameworks.
• Lead root cause investigations when simulation predictions deviate from test or on-orbit data, and drive model updates accordingly.
• Contribute to team growth through supporting hiring efforts, identifying capability gaps, and mentoring junior simulation and systems engineers.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior