Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer, Orbits R&D

About the Role:

As a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer, you will work on a small team of dedicated engineers responsible for the Flight Dynamics and Mission Planning for Planet’s fleet of satellites. The Flight Dynamics disciplines of this team include mission design, orbit determination, maneuver design and execution (with propulsion and differential-drag), and conjunction assessment & mitigation. Mission Planning is concerned with optimal scheduling of imaging and contacts for Planet’s Dove, SkySat, Pelican, and Tanager constellations. This operations research problem has a direct impact on fulfilling the business needs for the world’s largest heterogenous constellation of Earth Observation satellites. Your role will involve developing and automating tools to assess mission design trade-offs that will define the future of Planet's constellations.

This is a full-time, remote position based in the United States. 

Impact You'll Own:

• Research, design and architect new software solutions for managing Mission Design needs for Planet's increasingly diverse fleets of satellites
• Work on complex optimization problems with your knowledge of flight dynamics and software engineering
• Directly contribute to Planet's success by improving the operations of its existing fleets of satellites, alongside enabling future missions

What You Bring:

• Advanced degree in aerospace engineering, physics or related technical field
• 6+ years of total relevant experience
• Background in orbital mechanics and space mission operations
• Software development experience in C++ and Python
• Ability to carry out first-principles analysis and operationalize MVP solutions
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills

What Makes You Stand Out: 

• Experience with constellation and mission design trade studies
• Experience implementing one or more of the following:
• Orbit determination and high-fidelity propagation
• Covariance realism
• Low-thrust mission design
• Operations research and solving large-scale optimization problems
• Maneuver automation 
• Constellation management
• Microservice software architecture 
• Experience maintaining peer-reviewed code, attention to quality including automated testing, and continuous integration and deployment

Application Deadline:

August 11, 2025 by 11:59 PM PDT

EAR/ITAR Requirements:

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off 
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below.  Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location.  The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only.  Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.