Orbit Determination and Mission Design Engineer II

Blue Origin • Reston, VA

2d

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! The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit. Blue Origin's Blue National Security business unit is navigating spacecraft across some of the most complex and demanding regimes in spaceflight — from geostationary orbit to cislunar space and beyond to interplanetary destinations. Blue Ring, our multi-mission space vehicle are expanding the frontier of where we operate and what our navigation systems must do. Supporting these missions requires a growing team of skilled engineers who are ready to learn, code, and contribute from day one. As an Orbit Determination and Mission Design Engineer II on the Astrodynamics and Trajectory eXecution (ATX) team, you will build deep expertise in spacecraft orbit determination while contributing to mission design activities across GEO, cislunar, and interplanetary mission portfolios. This is a hands-on, learning-forward role with a heavy emphasis on software development and operational support. You will work closely with engineers and navigators, growing your skills across the full mission lifecycle while directly enabling mission success.

Requirements

• M .S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields with 2+ years of relevant experience ; OR Ph.D. with no additional experience .
• Foundational knowledge of astrodynamics and orbital mechanics.
• Experience or coursework in orbit determination, estimation theory, or navigation.
• Experience in at least one of the following: Python, Julia, or C++.
• Familiarity with numerical simulation tools or scripted analysis environments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• Applied experience with orbit determination tools such as Monte, STK/ODTK, FreeFlyer , or GMAT.
• Familiarity with GEO, cislunar, or interplanetary mission environments and their associated navigation challenges.
• Experience with radiometric orbit determination (Doppler, ranging) or optical navigation techniques.
• Experience with mission design analysis including trajectory trade studies, delta-v budgeting, or ConOps development.
• Exposure to spacecraft operations or mission operations environments.
• Experience with DevOps processes including configuration control, continuous integration/deployment, Agile methodologies, and code review.
• Previous experience with software development tooling such as Jira, git, Jenkins, Docker, and at least one IDE.
• Experience using generative AI tools to expedite and automate your workflow.
• Willingness or ability to acquire Active Top Secret (TS) / Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance with Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with polygraph preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform Orbit Determination: Process radiometric , Doppler and GPS to generate orbit solutions for GEO, cislunar, and interplanetary spacecraft; learn to interpret and communicate results in an operational context.
• Develop Navigation Software: Write, test, and maintain navigation algorithms and data processing tools in Python, Julia, or C++; contribute to a shared codebase following software development best practices.
• Support Mission Operations: Provide operations support during mission-critical phases, learning to execute orbit determination products under real-time constraints alongside experienced navigators.
• Contribute to Mission Design: Support trajectory and mission design tasks for GEO, cislunar, and interplanetary concepts.
• Build and Validate Models: Develop and validate force models, measurement models, and simulation tools that underpin high-fidelity navigation analysis.
• Collaborate and Communicate: Work closely with ATX team members , flight operations teams, and systems engineers; clearly document and present your results in technical memos and design reviews.
• Deliver with Agile Discipline: Contribute to sprint planning and delivery in an Agile development environment; use tools such as Jira and git to manage and track your work.

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)
• Paid Time Off: 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: Mid Level