Sr. Flight Dynamics Engineer

Xona Space Systems • Burlingame, CA

1d

About The Position

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.
With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.
We are seeking a Sr. Flight Dynamics Engineer to support the design, deployment, and ongoing operations of a large LEO satellite constellation. This role owns constellation architecture, orbital analysis, maneuver planning, collision avoidance, and long-term orbital maintenance across the full mission lifecycle from early design through on-orbit operations.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in the spacecraft or satellite industry supporting LEO or MEO constellation missions
• Strong foundation in orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, and flight dynamics analysis
• Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, or equivalent
• Experience with orbit determination and estimation tools (e.g., ODTK or similar)
• Solid understanding of orbital perturbations (J2, atmospheric drag, SRP, third-body effects) and their impact on long-term orbital behavior
• Experience analyzing spacecraft dynamics, control authority, and propulsion performance as they relate to trajectory design and constellation geometry
• Familiarity with conjunction assessment, collision avoidance workflows, and regulatory/compliance considerations (e.g., debris mitigation, SpaceTrack, SDS)
• For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
• For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).
• For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting on-orbit operations for large, multi-plane constellations
• Hands-on involvement in maneuver planning and execution during flight operations
• Proficiency with scripting and analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, or Bash
• Experience working cross-functionally with GNC, mission ops, and flight software teams
• Familiarity with regulatory interfaces and operational coordination with external entities

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze constellation architectures, including orbital regimes, plane spacing, phasing strategies, and deployment concepts
• Perform trade studies for orbit selection (altitude, inclination, RAAN distribution, phasing) to meet coverage, lifetime, and regulatory requirements
• Define station-keeping strategies and long-term orbit maintenance concepts for a large multi-satellite constellation
• Generate, validate, and maintain orbital state products, including TLEs and high-fidelity ephemerides
• Plan and optimize orbit insertion, phasing, station-keeping, and end-of-life disposal maneuvers while managing propellant usage and operational constraints
• Perform conjunction assessment and collision risk analysis; develop collision avoidance (COLA) maneuver plans
• Partner closely with mission operations, spacecraft systems, GNC, and software teams to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant orbital behavior across the constellation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 51-100 employees