[Hiring] GN&C Controls Engineer @Moonshot Aerospace

Role Description

Moonshot Aerospace is seeking a GN&C Controls Engineer to provide navigation and communications services for lunar missions. This role owns GN&C system performance from early architecture and design through flight operations and provides technical leadership to the GN&C team supporting the mission.

This position requires significant depth in spacecraft GN&C design, analysis, and implementation, with the ability to lead development efforts across a complex, multidisciplinary mission. The engineer will drive GN&C architecture and requirements, guidance and navigation algorithm development, control law design and tuning, and verification closure, while coordinating closely with avionics, propulsion, structures, software, and systems engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Design spacecraft GN&C system architecture, requirements definition, and design, including attitude control, vehicle stabilization, and pointing.
• Develop and oversee GN&C algorithms, perform stability and performance analysis (gain/phase margins, Bode, Nyquist, root locus), and support sensor selection.
• Build and maintain 6DOF simulation development and Monte Carlo performance assessments for control system design verification across all mission phases.
• Support multi-body dynamics modeling for docking, descent, and landing operations in lunar mission scenarios.
• Perform control system verification closure, performance, and margins for compliance with requirements and flight/operational readiness.
• Develop and analyze propulsion system control interfaces, including delta-velocity command and thrust vector control, and support actuator sizing.
• Support flight software integration and testing of control algorithms, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) test activities.
• Contribute to technical documentation, design reviews, and customer deliverables, including design descriptions, analysis reports, and verification plans.
• Collaborate with prime contractor and subcontractor engineering teams.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience in spacecraft or aerospace vehicle control system design and analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with multivariable control system design techniques.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink for control system analysis and simulation.
• Experience with 6DOF simulation development and execution.
• Understanding of spacecraft dynamics, rigid body mechanics, and actuator systems.
• Preferred location in the Houston, TX or Huntsville, AL area; remote work may be considered.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Controls, or related field.
• Experience supporting NASA lunar or human spaceflight programs (HLS, Orion, SLS, ISS).
• Experience with navigation filtering and sensor fusion for deep-space or cislunar missions.
• Descent and landing control system design.
• Flight software development or integration experience (C/C++).
• Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) test campaign experience.
• Active security clearance (Secret or above).
• Launch vehicle or satellite control system experience.
• Technical publication or conference presentation history.