Senior Navigation Engineer

Job description

As a Senior Navigation Engineer at Impulse Space, you will own the state estimation and orbit determination systems that let our vehicles know where they are and where they're going, across all phases of development and operation, while working closely with a fast-paced, agile team. You will design, implement, and validate the navigation filters and sensor-fusion techniques that fly our spacecraft and orbital transfer vehicles in LEO, GEO, and cislunar space, as well as perform astrodynamic analyses required for mission success. Design, develop, and tune navigation and estimation algorithms (EKF/UKF, batch/sequential estimators) for spacecraft and high-ΔV orbital transfer vehicles. Perform spacecraft navigation analyses: orbit determination, attitude determination, astrodynamic trajectories, covariance analysis, and navigation error budgets. Develop and validate sensor models and measurement models (IMU, GNSS/GPS, star tracker, optical/relative navigation, radiometric). Implement navigation algorithms in flight code (C++) and support SIL/HIL integration and test. Run Monte Carlo analysis to characterize navigation performance under dispersed and off-nominal conditions. Generate navigation verification data across Impulse's suite of missions. Support navigation operations: real-time OD, console support, and anomaly response during critical mission phases. Communicate navigation design needs, intent, performance, trades, and risk to the broader engineering team. Bachelor's degree in engineering, science or related for science 5+ years of demonstrated experience in spacecraft navigation, orbit determination, or estimation Proficiency in Matlab and C++ Demonstrated experience designing and implementing Kalman filters for rocket or space applications