Senior Trajectory Design Engineer
About Intuitive Machines
Intuitive Machines is an innovative and cutting-edge space company making cislunar space accessible to both public and private customers. Our mission is to further science and exploration, communications, and economic progress from the Earth to the Moon and beyond. With the first commercial lunar landing in history, multiple NASA lunar missions in development, and additional private missions on our manifest, we pride ourselves in supporting our customers and the nation in paving the way to return humans to the surface of the Moon.
Our world-class team includes experts in all aspects of spacecraft subsystems design, development, and test, on-orbit operations, and safety.
About The Position
At IM, the Mission Design Group are the Flight Dynamics experts who focus on designing our trajectories, analyzing our vehicle’s performance along those trajectories, and supporting mission operations as mission design and analysis specialists. As a Senior Trajectory Design Engineer in the Mission Design Group, you will be responsible for developing optimal trajectories and mission plans for various space missions, including lunar landings, interplanetary missions, and satellite deployments. You will work closely with multi-disciplinary teams to define mission objectives, model and simulate spacecraft dynamics, and develop robust trajectory solutions to ensure mission success.
Responsibilities:
- Design and analyze trajectories and constellations for IM missions in cislunar space, and assist with the operations of those missions in a senior trajectory design capacity.
- Develop internal tools and techniques to analyze high- and low-thrust performance of spacecraft via stochastic methods
- Simulate and optimize mission trajectories, accounting for constraints such as fuel efficiency, time, mission duration, safety margins, and navigation/control capabilities.
- Conduct failure analyses and develop contingency trajectories in response to potential mission anomalies.
- Work with operations teams develop mission plans and to ensure accurate execution of mission plans and support real-time trajectory corrections during mission operations.
- Develop internal tools and techniques for operational maneuver planning, and perform that role during IM missions
- Contribute to technical proposals and presentations for future missions and contract bids.
Preferred Skills & Qualifications:
- Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field; Ph.D. is a plus.
- 7+ years of experience in mission design, trajectory optimization, or space systems engineering, ideally with experience in lunar or interplanetary missions.
- Spacecraft trajectory design using industry-standard software, e.g. Copernicus, GMAT, or STK/Astrogator
- Use Python to create custom trajectory analysis and operations tools
- Experience in developing and analyzing high-fidelity trajectory simulations.
- Experience with mission operations and real-time trajectory correction is preferred.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team environment.
US EEO StatementIntuitive Machines is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
