Senior Flight Dynamics Software Engineer, Mission Planning Platform
Senior flight dynamics engineer on Muon Space's Mission Planning Platform team, owning workstreams end-to-end (architecture through on-orbit operations) for the in-house MuFDS: orbit determination, maneuver planning, stationkeeping, and collision avoidance for LEO constellations, built mainly in C++ and Python.
- Compensation
- $213K–$237K / yr
- Location
- San Jose, CA
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- B.S. or higher in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, physics, applied math, or related field
- 5+ years of experience in flight dynamics software development and operations
- Hands-on experience planning, executing, and reconstructing propulsive maneuvers for operational LEO spacecraft
- Strong proficiency in C++ and Python, with production-level contributions in both
- Solid grounding in flight dynamics fundamentals: orbital mechanics, propagation, orbit determination, maneuver design
- Ability to lead technical work across functional boundaries and communicate with non-FD stakeholders
- Ability to translate first-principles analysis into production-level code
- Familiarity with modern software engineering practices (version control, code review, automated testing) in a Linux-based environment
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities
- U.S. person status (or equivalent export authorization eligibility) due to ITAR/EAR export-controlled information
Nice to have
- M.S. degree
- Hands-on experience implementing and operating OD systems, including filter tuning, residual analysis, and dynamics model calibration
- Experience with astrodynamics software (GMAT, Orekit, Ansys STK/ODTK, FreeFlyer)
- Experience taking a spacecraft from LEOP through steady-state operations
- Experience with conjunction assessment / collision avoidance workflows
- Experience with scheduling or constrained optimization problems (e.g. pass scheduling, contact planning)
- Experience with cloud-based services or ground software systems
Full description
About the role
Muon seeks a Senior Flight Dynamics Software Engineer to join our Mission Planning Platform team and help lead the buildout of our flight dynamics capability. Partnering with our flight dynamics lead, you will own major workstreams end-to-end — from architecture through production deployment and operations — across orbit determination, maneuver planning, and constellation-scale automation. You'll also help grow the team by mentoring earlier-career engineers and representing flight dynamics in cross-team technical forums.
Responsibilities
- Own major MuFDS (Muon’s in-house flight dynamics system) workstreams end-to-end (architecture, implementation, validation, and operational rollout) across areas such as automated maneuver planning, stationkeeping and collision avoidance, and maneuver reconstruction.
- Drive architecture and design decisions for flight dynamics capabilities that span team boundaries.
- Support on-orbit propulsion operations, including commissioning campaigns and routine maneuvers, in coordination with propulsion vendors and subcontractors.
- Lead operational response for orbit determination and maneuver-related anomalies, including deep-dive root-cause investigations and follow-on system improvements.
- Represent flight dynamics in mission readiness reviews, cross-team design reviews, and interactions with external partners.
- Evolve Muon's OD pipeline toward more advanced and robust methods (e.g. statistical filtering, factor graph methods, improved dynamics modeling).
- Mentor earlier-career engineers on flight dynamics fundamentals, software craftsmanship, and Muon's ground systems.
Qualifications
- B.S. or higher in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, physics, applied math, or related field (M.S. preferred).
- 5+ years of experience in flight dynamics software development and operations.
- Direct, hands-on experience planning, executing, and reconstructing propulsive maneuvers for operational LEO spacecraft.
- Strong proficiency in C++ and Python, with a track record of production-level contributions in both.
- Solid grounding in flight dynamics fundamentals: orbital mechanics, propagation, orbit determination, maneuver design.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical work across functional boundaries and communicate clearly with non-FD stakeholders (GNC, Systems, Operations, external vendors).
- Ability to translate first-principles analysis into production-level code.
- Familiarity with modern software engineering practices (version control, code review, automated testing) in a Linux-based environment.