ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space - anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.
SUMMARYAs a Senior ADCS Engineer specializing in controls and autonomy at Firefly, you will design and implement advanced control systems and autonomous flight software for operational spacecraft. In this role, you will develop and tune attitude control software, support hardware-in-the-loop testing and system integration, and provide technical leadership while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. This position combines advanced control theory, real-time embedded systems development, and hands-on flight operations support while mentoring junior engineers in a fast-paced operational environment.
RESPONSIBILITIES - Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude control software to ensure accurate pointing across all mission phases
- Implement control techniques for critical mission phases using reaction wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torque rods, and thruster systems
- Develop control systems accounting for complex spacecraft dynamics including structural flex modes, propellant slosh, gimbal dynamics, and control structure interaction
- Establish technical standards and validation methodologies for control system design, software development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
- Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and performance optimization for control systems under nominal and off-nominal conditions
- Support hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns for integrated ADCS systems including control algorithm validation, flight software verification, and system-level performance testing
- Drive resolution of complex ADCS challenges requiring deep technical expertise and rapid problem-solving
- Provide technical direction on system architecture and serve as subject matter expert for spacecraft control
- Mentor junior engineers in control theory and flight software development
- Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate ADCS concepts and results to diverse audiences
- Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate control software with spacecraft hardware
- Serve as an ADCS console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post-mission analysis to improve spacecraft models
- Champion continuous improvement initiatives for ADCS processes, tools, and operational efficiency
QUALIFICATIONSRequired - Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field
- 5-10 years of experience in spacecraft ADCS systems with significant depth in attitude control system design or flight software development
- Advanced knowledge of attitude dynamics and control theory, including rotational dynamics, attitude representations, control moment generation, and stability analysis
- Strong understanding of classical control theory and frequency domain analysis techniques
- Expertise in real-time software development using C++ for mission-critical applications
- Experience developing high-fidelity actuator models and attitude control system testbeds
- Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for mission-critical systems
- Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
Desired - Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or related field
- Experience architecting and implementing control systems for operational spacecraft from development through mission operations
- Expertise in advanced control techniques such as nonlinear control methods, optimal control, model predictive control, or adaptive control applied to spacecraft applications
- Hands-on experience with spacecraft actuator systems including reaction wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torque rods, and thruster systems
- Advanced knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis
- Advanced knowledge of numerical methods for control law tuning, root-solving, and parameter optimization
- Experience with modern flight software frameworks and real-time operating systems
- Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows
- Proficiency in Python for scripting, data analysis, and automation
- Working knowledge of spacecraft systems and mission operations
- Proven ability to develop junior engineers while managing technical responsibilities
- Track record of thought leadership through publications, presentations, or contributions to industry state-of-the-art
Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options. Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on 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.
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