Optical Navigation Engineer

Columbus Technologies and Services Inc•Greenbelt, MD

8d•$70,000 - $91,000

About The Position

Columbus Technologies & Services is seeking a highly skilled professional to support the development and flight software implementation of advanced optical navigation image processing algorithms. This role is critical for advancing autonomous navigation capabilities for missions to the Moon and other airless bodies, focusing on the integration of highly reliable celestial, limb, and terrain-relative navigation systems.

Requirements

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering.
Demonstrated professional or advanced academic experience in spacecraft navigation, flight software development, or a related aerospace field.
Proficiency in C++, Python, and MATLAB for algorithm development, data analysis, and flight software implementation.
Strong experience utilizing OpenCV (and related libraries) for image processing, feature extraction, and visual odometry.
Deep understanding of optical navigation (OpNav) techniques, including celestial, limb, and Terrain-Relative Navigation (TRN).
Deep understanding of visual odometry and map-free navigation methodologies.
Proven ability to design and execute rigorous performance benchmarking and testing for spaceflight navigation software.
Knowledge of the unique environmental challenges and orbital mechanics related to the Moon and other airless bodies.

Nice To Haves

Strong analytical mindset to debug legacy code and troubleshoot complex sensor integration issues.
Ability to present technical data and collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Ability to work in a team environment.

Responsibilities

The development and implementation of advanced optical navigation image processing algorithms into flight software.
Perform rigorous testing, performance benchmarking, and continuous improvement of celestial, limb, and terrain-relative navigation (TRN) algorithms for lunar and airless body environments.
Develop, implement, and test novel, map-free terrain-relative navigation image processing algorithms based on visual odometry.