Senior Mission Operations Manager

Lux Aeterna•Denver, CO

19h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Mission Space is the infrastructure layer for humanity’s next industrial revolution. While reusable rockets have opened the door, true economic transformation requires orbital logistics that are as accessible and reliable as commercial aviation. At Lux Aeterna, we’re building that future by developing the first fully reusable satellite platform built for reliable reentry, recovery, and rapid redeployment, transforming space from a one-way street into a two-way highway for innovation and commerce. We are seeking an exceptional Senior Mission Operations Manager to take end-to-end ownership of Lux Aeterna’s flights getting Delphi-1 to the pad, running it on orbit, and bringing it home. This role spans program execution in the lead-up to launch and mission operations leadership through commissioning, on-orbit, deorbit, reentry, and recovery. You will start as the program manager keeping Delphi-1 on schedule owning the integrated plan, driving cross-team execution, surfacing risk, and making sure the engineering / operations organization is pointed at the right work in the right order. As we approach launch, you transition into the Mission Operations Lead: building the concept of operations, standing up the mission ops team, training the console, running rehearsals, and ultimately commanding the vehicle in flight. This role will then transition into the responsible party for developing how Lux Aeterna manages fleet flight operations, from team building, process development, all the way through realization for a fleet-based satellite operating model. This is the seat for someone who wants real ownership early, who is energized by both the discipline of program execution and the thrill of flying spacecraft, and who wants to grow into the person responsible for our missions in flight. This is a unique opportunity to: Own a full reusable-spacecraft mission lifecycle from program plan through launch, on-orbit, reentry, recovery, and refurbishment hand-off Build Lux Aeterna’s mission operations function from zero: CONOPs, procedures, flight rules, and the team that flies the vehicle Serve as Mission Manager / Flight Director on console for first-of-kind reusable-satellite flights Work directly with the founders and technical leadership to shape how Lux Aeterna executes and flies missions Grow into the mission operations leader for the Delphi platform and follow-on programs

Requirements

BS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical field (or equivalent practical experience)
7+ years in aerospace or other high-stakes hardware programs, with a mix of program/project management and operations experience
Demonstrated ownership of an integrated master schedule on a flight or comparable hardware program (satellite, launch vehicle, aircraft, missile, or critical infrastructure)
Direct experience in a mission operations, flight test, or launch environment including console time, procedure authorship, or flight-director-style real-time decision making in aerospace programs.
Strong technical fluency. Comfortable reading ICDs, requirements, and engineering analyses, and pushing back when the plan and the physics disagree
Track record of running cross-functional teams without formal authority and getting senior engineers to commit and deliver
Excellent written communication: procedures, flight rules, status, and exec-level reporting that people actually trust
High composure under pressure and sound judgment with incomplete information
Comfort with ambiguity and bias toward action over analysis paralysis
Ability to operate effectively in fast build-test-iterate environments with high ownership and minimal supervision

Nice To Haves

Prior tour as a Flight Director, Mission Manager, Mission Director, or Lead Mission Operator on an orbital or reentry program
Experience standing up a mission ops organization from zero: hiring, training, certifying operators, building the MOC
Familiarity with reentry, recovery, or asset-return operations (capsule, glider, booster, or experimental vehicle)
Working knowledge of FAA Part 450, range safety, and human-spaceflight-adjacent safety standards (SSCMAN 91-710, AFSPCMAN, NASA STD)
Hands-on with ground-segment / MCC tooling like commanding, telemetry, mission planning, pass scheduling including KSAT or equivalent ground-network experience
Familiarity with CCSDS, telemetry decom, and ground-segment integration
Early-stage startup or new-program experience, especially in hardware or deep-tech companies
Comfort building lightweight systems and processes that scale, without over-engineering them
Military aviation, test, or operations background welcome in place of or alongside an engineering degree

Responsibilities

Own the Delphi-1 integrated master schedule, critical path, and external partner deliverables.
Run the program cadence, risk management, and other programmatic processes.
Surface issues early and close decisions
Translate engineering trades, customer ICDs, and FAA/range submittals into actions with owners and exit criteria; run vendor programs end-to-end and keep budget, headcount, and cost-to-complete visible
Author the Concept of Operations, console procedures, flight rules, anomaly playbooks, and mission timeline — partnering with GNC, FSW, GSW, and Avionics
Stand up the Mission Operations Center, lead rehearsals, and drive the Flight Readiness and Mission Readiness Reviews
Hire, train, and certify the mission operations team (internal or external): console operators, flight directors, payload operators. Define the on-call rotation that supports flight
Serve as Mission Manager / Flight Director from pre-launch through on-orbit and own the call to proceed, hold, or abort, and run real-time coordination with KSAT, SpaceX, the range, customers, and recovery partners
Lead recovery operations and the post-flight debrief; feed lessons learned into Delphi block upgrades and follow-on missions