Moonshot Aerospace is seeking a Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer to support spacecraft and planetary lander programs for commercial and government customers. Programs include the Human Landing System (HLS), Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), and other civil and commercial space efforts.
This position requires depth in at least one GN&C subdiscipline—navigation, guidance, or controls—combined with the ability to develop and maintain high-fidelity modeling and simulation environments for spacecraft and lander design. The engineer will contribute to algorithm development, 6DOF simulation, flight software integration, and mission performance analysis. Multiple experience levels are available, and responsibilities will scale with demonstrated capability.
Responsibilities
Develop and analyze guidance, navigation, and/or control algorithms for spacecraft and lander applications
Build, maintain, and execute 6DOF simulations and associated analysis tools for mission performance verification
Implement and validate state estimation filters (EKF) or control laws depending on subdiscipline focus
Develop sensor and actuator models for simulation environments (IMU, star tracker, LiDAR, reaction control systems)
Perform Monte Carlo analysis and trade studies to characterize system performance under dispersed conditions
Support flight software integration, testing, and verification
Contribute to technical documentation, customer deliverables, and program reviews
Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams and customer organizations
Required Qualifications
U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field
5+ years of professional GN&C experience with spacecraft or launch vehicle systems
Demonstrated depth in at least one GN&C subdiscipline: navigation and state estimation, guidance and trajectory design, or control system design and analysis
Experience developing and executing high-fidelity spacecraft simulations (3DOF or 6DOF)
Strong programming skills in C/C++, Python, and MATLAB/Simulink
Experience with configuration management tools (Git or equivalent)
Effective written and verbal communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field
Lunar or planetary mission experience
Experience with Kalman filter design and tuning for spacecraft applications
Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), optical navigation, or multi-sensor fusion experience
Rendezvous and proximity operations experience
Hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) testing and integration
Flight software development or real-time systems exposure
Familiarity with NASA Trick simulation framework or equivalent
Propulsion, slosh modeling, or flexible-body dynamics exposure
Launch vehicle or satellite GN&C experience