Principal Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) Engineer

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 Principal GNC engineer, you will be a core driver of the overall spacecraft GNC architecture. You will execute detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement the spacecraft’s guidance, attitude control, and attitude and orbit estimation systems. You will anticipate company needs and stand-up infrastructure to support the core and future business.

In the first 3 months, you will own and execute the Verification and Validation plan for the GNC stack, driving the system to flight readiness via a robust and thorough analysis of vehicle performance in both nominal and off nominal environments. This push for flight readiness will motivate thorough analysis, leading to updates to both the GNC stack and the K2 6-DOF simulation. The expectation is that all GNC team members commit code to the 6-DOF sim as well as owning a portion of the GNC flight software.

In the first 6 months, you will support launch and on orbit operations of the first full demonstration of the K2 spacecraft bus – the Mega. In parallel, you will scope and 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 and the vehicle performance of the GNC stack.

In the first year, you will own the planning and development of future tooling to support GNC in defining vehicle level capabilities, especially for future missions. This includes mission design, precision pointing and controls analysis, constellation development, and 6-DOF simulation development.

Responsibilities

• Work with other engineering leads to set the direction and develop novel vehicle architecture

• Develop novel algorithms for precise pointing of very large, flexible structures in earth orbit and beyond

• 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. This includes mission design, controls analysis, and 6-DOF simulation development.

• Integral to building the GNC organization by recruiting, hiring, and mentoring other engineers

Qualifications

• Experience with GNC actuator or sensor sizing, selection, and system design

• Experience with implementing attitude control and/or estimation algorithms on spacecraft

• Experience with verification and validation of GNC flight software in an integrated environment, leveraging 6-DOF simulation and HITL testing.

• Experience with early-stage spacecraft conceptual design, i.e. “clean sheet” design work

• Experience with Python, Julia, C/C++, or Matlab for algorithm development, implementation, and simulation

Nice to Have

• Experience with control algorithm development

• Experience with reaction wheel, control moment gyroscope, or thruster sizing and algorithm implementation

• Experience with navigation, specifically Extended Kalman Filters

• Experience with trajectory analysis, modeling, and mission design

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $190,000 - $250,000 + equity in the company

• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space 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.