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Rocket Lab Corporation

Flight Dynamics Engineer II

Long Beach, CAFrom $161kmidAdded yesterday

About this role

Rocket Lab seeks a Flight Dynamics Engineer II to design and analyze trajectories, orbital mechanics, and mission operations for Earth-orbit, lunar, and interplanetary spacecraft. You'll work cross-functionally with guidance, software, and propulsion teams to support mission readiness and real-time operations from their Long Beach headquarters.

What you'll do

  • Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories for ascent, orbit insertion, and maneuvers
  • Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis for spacecraft operations
  • Support mission design including launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning
  • Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles
  • Generate trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews
  • Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch analysis

What they're looking for

  • Orbital mechanics and orbit determination theory
  • Mission analysis tools (STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus, or equivalent)
  • Python software development
  • Git or equivalent version control
  • Trajectory design and orbital propagation
  • Monte Carlo numerical simulation
  • Jira or equivalent project management
  • Problem-solving under time pressure

Benefits

  • Equity ownership stake in fast-growing space company
  • Competitive base pay with stock compensation
  • Work on diverse missions including lunar and interplanetary exploration
  • Collaborate with world-class engineering teams across multiple disciplines
  • Contribute to missions with NASA, Space Development Agency, and U.S. Space Force
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Rocket Lab Corporation

Rocket Lab builds spacecraft and satellites that it launches on its own rockets, developing the avionics, flight software, and ground systems needed to operate these vehicles in orbit. The company is hiring software engineers, test automation specialists, and spacecraft operations engineers to develop embedded flight software, design testing systems, and manage satellite fleet health across commercial and government missions.

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Likely interview questions

  • Describe a trajectory analysis or mission design project you led and how you validated your results with flight software teams.
  • How have you used orbital mechanics tools like STK or GMAT in a production or operational environment, and what challenges did you face?
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