SpaceX Logo

SpaceX

Trajectory Analysis Engineer (Starship)

Posted 7 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Hawthorne, CA
100K-135K
Mid level
Hawthorne, CA
100K-135K
Mid level
As a Trajectory Analysis Engineer, you'll analyze rocket trajectories for safety and performance, develop solutions, and automate data analysis for mission operations.
The summary above was generated by AI

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

As a Trajectory Analysis Engineer, you will be responsible for finding creative analysis solutions to enable the world’s most advanced rockets, including our next-generation Starship vehicle, a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying humans to Mars and beyond. You will work with a talented team of accomplished engineers to iterate on mission objectives for upcoming and future flights to ensure flight safety objectives are met. You should thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments where you adapt quickly and love to solve hard problems.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Analyze launch vehicle trajectories and vehicle performance in the presence of faults
  • Find creative flight plan solutions to enable mission objectives, while maintaining safe vehicle operation
  • Generate and submit flight safety deliverables
  • Produce and present trajectory analysis products for internal and external partners
  • Interface with internal operations teams, flight reliability teams, hardware teams, and external regulatory partners such as the FAA.
  • Engage in multi-disciplinary vehicle systems investigations to motivate mission design, vehicle architecture, and analysis methodologies
  • Develop and evaluate flight termination system mission rules
  • Support launch and mission operations of vehicles that you enabled
  • Conduct flight data review
  • Automate mission-to-mission trajectory analysis product generation

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor's degree in physics or an engineering discipline
  • Experience with orbital mechanics, classical dynamics, modeling, and simulation
  • Experience with the software languages Python or C++

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • 1+ year of professional experience in trajectory analysis and aerodynamics
  • Demonstrated project or professional experience in launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems
  • Capable of solving complex problems with little to no supervision on schedule as an individual or as a member of an integrated team
  • Experience with system trades and first-hand knowledge of how requirements tie hardware to larger systems
  • Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and human spaceflight
  • Excellent communication skills both written and verbal

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:    
    
Pay range:    
Trajectory Analysis Engineer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00/per year    
Trajectory Analysis Engineer/Level II: $115,000.00 - $135,000.00/per year    
    
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.


ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected]

Top Skills

C++
Python

SpaceX Hawthorne, California, USA Office

1 Rocket Road, Hawthorne, CA, United States, 90250

Similar Jobs

An Hour Ago
Hybrid
San Diego, CA, USA
147K-258K Annually
Senior level
147K-258K Annually
Senior level
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • HR Tech • Information Technology • Productivity • Software • Automation
Lead the Linux Center of Expertise within OS Engineering, managing teams and ensuring operational excellence in Linux operations, incident resolution, and continuous improvement.
Top Skills: AnsibleAWSAzureBashDevOpsForemanGCPGitlabItilKubernetesLinuxPuppetPythonRed Hat LinuxSre
An Hour Ago
San Mateo, CA, USA
180K-280K Annually
Senior level
180K-280K Annually
Senior level
Cloud • Hardware • Security • Software
The Senior Frontend Engineer will develop user experiences for the Command web platform, mentor engineers, and collaborate across teams.
Top Skills: ApolloDatabase SystemsGraphQLJavaScriptReactReduxServer-Side FrameworksTypescriptWebpack
An Hour Ago
Easy Apply
San Francisco, CA, USA
Easy Apply
185K-245K
Senior level
185K-245K
Senior level
eCommerce • Mobile
As a Software Engineer focused on Machine Learning, you will design scalable solutions, build ML infrastructure, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement data-driven decisions.
Top Skills: Aws Ec2Aws EcsAws EksAws KinesisAws LambdaAws S3Aws SagemakerDatadogDockerDynamoDBElasticsearchFastapiFlaskFlinkGrafanaKafkaPostgresPythonRedisSpark

What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene

Los Angeles is a global leader in entertainment, so it’s no surprise that many of the biggest players in streaming, digital media and game development call the city home. But the city boasts plenty of non-entertainment innovation as well, with tech companies spanning verticals like AI, fintech, e-commerce and biotech. With major universities like Caltech, UCLA, USC and the nearby UC Irvine, the city has a steady supply of top-flight tech and engineering talent — not counting the graduates flocking to Los Angeles from across the world to enjoy its beaches, culture and year-round temperate climate.

Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech

  • Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
  • Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
  • Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
  • Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
  • Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
  • Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account