Senior GNC Engineer

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.

Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:

As a Senior Guidance and Control Engineer, you will work on a small team of dedicated engineers responsible for the attitude determination and control subsystem of the Planet Labs satellites. Key functions include development and implementation of attitude determination and control algorithms, anomaly resolution, spacecraft telemetry trending, and generation/validation of operational products related to attitude determination. You will assist in the development and analysis of new mission concepts and support the development of the state estimation and commanding system for a three axis stabilized spacecraft. You will also build ground testing equipment for concept validation and have the opportunity to take designs from scratch to space operation.

This is a full-time, hybrid position and is expected in the San Francisco office 3 days a week.

Impact You'll Own:

• Hardware testing
• On-orbit operations
• Flight code development 
• Perform technical analysis to support flight operations and inform design decisions for future spacecraft

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field
• At least 3 years of experience as an estimation/controls engineer or related position
• Practical experience developing production-quality real-time systems in C for microcontroller or embedded Linux target
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink
• Familiarity with software engineering tools and processes (version control, code review, regression testing)
• Ability to test, evaluate and guide ADCS hardware decisions
• Working knowledge of optimal state estimation and control theory, force and momentum formulations, numerical methods and 6-DOF simulations
• Ability to carry out first-principles analysis and derive control/estimation specifications
• Practical experience troubleshooting and debugging complex systems
• Willing to do hands-on experiments and testing

What Makes You Stand Out: 

• Masters degree in Aerospace engineering 
• Experience with STK, Python
• Propulsion expertise
• Established record of spacecraft project experience
• Experience in the design and calibration of low-cost sensors and actuators
• Basic understanding of orbital mechanics
• Experience in spacecraft or related flight operations
• Significant publications or conference presentations

Application Deadline:

June 30, 2025 by 11:59pm PST

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
• Remote-friendly work environment 
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement