K2 Space
space
GuidanceNavigation&Control(GNC)Engineer
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Senior candidates.
“Guidance Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer at K2 Space. Skills: Guidance Navigation & Control (GNC), algorithm development, simulation and modeling, verification and validation. core driver of the GNC architecture for internally developed actuators. execute detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement navigation and control of K2 mechanisms”
What You'll Achieve.
flight readiness; increase the fidelity of the simulation, the vehicle performance and mechanism performance of the GNC stack
Industry & Context.
characterizing and rejecting disturbances and jitter
U. S. Persons status required due to ITAR regulations
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
GNC actuator or sensor sizing, selection, and system design, implementing control and/or estimation algorithms, verification and validation of GNC flight software in an integrated environment, leveraging 6-DOF simulation and HITL testing, Python, Julia, C/C++, or Matlab for algorithm development, implementation, and simulation
Nice to Have
early-stage conceptual design, i. e. “clean sheet” design work, control algorithm development, reaction wheel, control moment gyroscope, motor or thruster sizing and algorithm implementation, navigation, specifically Extended Kalman Filters, trajectory analysis, modeling, and mission design
What You'll Do.
core driver of the GNC architecture for internally developed actuators
execute detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement navigation and control of K2 mechanisms
support the development of the control infrastructure
from discrete filter design in the time domain to thorough analysis in the frequency domain
own and execute the Verification and Validation plan for mechanism GNC
driving the system to flight readiness via a robust and thorough analysis of performance in both nominal and off nominal environments
updates to both the GNC stack
the K2 6-DOF simulation
HOOTL (Hardware Out Of the Loop)
and HITL (Hardware In The Loop)
commit code to the 6-DOF sim
owning a portion of the GNC flight software
support launch and on orbit operations of the first full stacked demonstration of 3 K2 spacecraft buses
support the block 2 upgrades of the GNC stack and 6-DOF sim
taking lessons learned from on orbit operations to increase the fidelity of the simulation
the vehicle performance and mechanism performance of the GNC stack
develop and validate a novel high level vehicle architecture
Develop novel algorithms for precise pointing of very large
flexible structures in earth orbit and beyond
Develop novel algorithms for precise pointing of mechanisms
effectively characterizing and rejecting disturbances and jitter
Develop novel slewing algorithms of very large
flexible structures in earth orbit and beyond
Develop simulation and modeling tools to support vehicle and GNC trade studies
Contribute to building the GNC organization by recruiting
and mentoring other engineers
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Work with other engineering leads to develop and validate a novel high level vehicle architecture
Full Job Description
K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply. The Role As a Senior GNC engineer, you will be a core driver of the GNC architecture for internally developed actuators that support the overall platform capabilities. You will execute detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement navigation and control of K2 mechanisms. In the first 3 months, you will support the development of the control infrastructure, from discrete filter design in the time domain to thorough analysis in the frequency domain. In the first 6 months, you will own and execute the Verification and Validation plan for mechanism GNC, driving the system to flight readiness via a robust and thorough analysis of performance in both nominal and off nominal environments. This pus
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