GNC Engineer, Phased Array Devices (Starshield)

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

GNC ENGINEER, PHASED ARRAY DEVICES (STARSHIELD)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. 

As an engineer on this team, you will bring a passion and expertise in areas like control theory, state estimation, orbital mechanics, spacecraft systems design, optimization, and software development to join the Starshield GNC team. This role is specifically dedicated toward GNC algorithm design and development for Starshield user terminals, which directly connect users on the ground to the space-based Starshield network. The software you write will be deployed directly to production systems that are in the hands of the end-users of the various unique Starshield capabilities; as such, this role is high impact and crucial to providing continuous improvement to the utility and quality of Starshield's products and mission. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design and analysis of GNC logic for Starshield phased array antennas

• Real-time angular and translational navigation using onboard sensors and optimal state estimation techniques

• Design of beam-steering logic to track and hand-off satellites while maximizing link integrity in challenging operational environments

• Development of GNSS independent PNT (position, navigation, and timing) algorithms

• Design and implementation of all of the above for high-velocity/high-maneuverability platforms 

• Provide engineering and data review support for hardware development, special projects, and customer support triage

• Work with hardware engineers on the design and specification of future user terminal products and their navigation sensor packages

• Model derivation and high fidelity simulation for development and validation of prototype features

• Implementation, validation, unit testing, and deployment of production software (C++) pertinent to the systems described above

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, computer science/software engineering, or an engineering discipline 

• Software development experience in C++, Python, and/or MATLAB/Simulink

• Experience with attitude determination

• Experience with state estimation algorithms

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master's degree or PhD in physics or an engineering discipline

• Demonstrated project or professional experience in state estimation, feedback control, robotics, antenna design and actuation, or similar

• Direct experience with inertial navigation systems, GNS