GNC Engineer - Avionics

As a GNC/AOCS Engineer - Avionics at Spire, you will operate as part of a technical team who maintains responsibility across the full lifecycle of the Spire GNC product and its subcomponents. The GNC team interfaces directly with many engineering groups to conduct R&D, design, manufacturing, and operations activities, ultimately ensuring all current and future spacecraft systems satisfy their mission. Ideal candidates will embrace the commercialization of nanosatellite systems and adapt to low-cost, fast-paced systems design, development, and implementation methodologies that set Spire apart from our competition. In this fast-paced environment, the design to launch cycle is measured in weeks and months, not years!  

What You’ll Do:  

• Design, evaluate, select, qualify and implement flight sensors, including magnetometers, sun sensors, inertial measurement devices, Earth sensors, and/or star trackers.


• Design, evaluate, select, qualify and implement flight actuators, including magnetic torque elements, reaction wheels, and propulsion systems.


• Design, implement and maintain simulation models for GNC subcomponents in our 6-DOF simulation environment.


• Technical ownership of current and future GNC avionics peripherals, supporting troubleshooting, design and updates to improve reliability and performance.


• Working closely with cross-functional teams, including hardware, software, and systems engineers, to integrate avionics solutions into the larger platform.


• Develop component qualification and acceptance processes and be hands-on in laboratory and manufacturing environments. 

Key Skills:   

• Experience with flight sensors for spacecraft attitude determination/estimation.


• Experience with actuators, including actuator sizing, modelling, design and integration.


• A solid foundation in spacecraft attitude dynamics and control algorithms, with emphasis sensor ingestions and actuator command calculation.


• Experience working hands-on with HW and familiarity with 'hardware-in-the-loop` simulation.


• Experience developing software using C/Python.


• Have experience or familiarity with the Linux development environment.


• Have experience working with external engineering contractors.  

Preferred Skills:  

• Experience writing flight software.


• Experience designing and/or implementing Kalman filters and feedback control for attitude estimation.


• Experience with C or C++ development for embedded systems.


• Experience with spacecraft design.


• Experience with spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing.


• Experience with spacecraft operations and maintenance.


• Experience identifying and resolving system anomalies.


• Experience creating and maintaining integration and test campaigns for attitude determination and control systems, including hardware and software.  

Spire operates a hybrid work model, and this position will require you to work a minimum of three days per week in the office.  

Access to US export-controlled software and/or technology may be required for this role. If needed, Spire will arrange the necessary licenses—this is not something candidates need to have before applying. 

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