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Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer

San Francisco

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer

As a Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer for Astranis, you will design, implement, and test algorithms related to position and attitude guidance, navigation, and control of our satellites. Additionally, you will work across both software and hardware systems while overseeing the simulation and analysis of algorithms to validate and verify their effectiveness and robustness. 

This role will contribute to both commercial and US Government Programs.


Role

  • Work within the Guidance, Navigation, and Control team to design, build, test, and operate satellite software and hardware for the GNC System
  • Software development including flight algorithms, ground software, simulation framework, and physics models
  • Focus on estimation algorithms in real time settings (e.g. Kalman Filtering) as well as offline applications (batch estimation).
  • System design including make/buy trades, component selection, system sizing, and pointing budgets
  • Validation and verification through software simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, and hardware in the loop testing
  • Concept of operations development, mission planning, and flight operation support
  • Hardware development including managing internal component build, external vendors, and subassembly bring-up and testing
  • Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team

Requirements

  • BS or MS degree in a technical discipline (e.g. engineering, CS, physics) with a focus on control systems, orbital mechanics, or similar
  • 5+ years industry experience working with Guidance, Navigation, and Control systems
  • Demonstrated experience with estimation techniques such as sensor fusion (e.g. extended Kalman filters), and batch estimation
  • Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and testing control algorithms
  • Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and testing trajectory and attitude guidance algorithms
  • Demonstrated experience in developing 6-DOF simulations & flight software
  • Experience with Python (Numpy, Scipy), C++, and Git
  • A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and doing hands-on design and development
  • Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware and/or software from scratch
  • Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria

Bonus

  • Experience with orbit determination methods
  • Experience with trajectory optimization
  • Experience with robotic manipulators
  • Experience with geostationary spacecraft operations 
  • Experience with spacecraft propulsion
  • Experience with hardware in the loop simulations
  • Experience implementing algorithms for embedded systems
What we offer: 
 
All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.
 
Base pay is a single component of Astranis's total rewards package, which may also include equity in the form of incentive stock options, high quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance benefits, flexible PTO, 401(K) retirement, and free on-site catered meals.
 
Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary

$155,000 - $200,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))
 
Our mission and our products are meant to connect the world and everyone in it, regardless of gender, race, creed, or any other distinction. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we encourage all people to join our team and bring their unique perspective to help make us stronger.

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