Graduate GNC Engineer

This is a Graduate GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Control) Engineer placement at Lúnasa (part of Infinite Orbits).

About Lúnasa

Lúnasa is a UK-based NewSpace company (acquired by Infinite Orbits) building advanced and autonomous systems and satellites for in-orbit satellite services. Our mission is to provide geostationary operators with all the in-orbit services they need, from the inspection of their assets to the extension of their lifespan and the management of the end-of-life phase.

The company has received multiple contracts from the UK Space Agency and ESA to build and deploy AI-based satellite rendezvous proximity operations (RPO) technology and is set to demonstrate the innovation in space by 2027.

Job summary:
As a Graduate GNC Engineer, you will work closely with experienced engineers to design, implement, and test GNC algorithms that enable our satellites to operate autonomously in orbit, including attitude control, orbit determination, and relative navigation for proximity operations.

This is a hands-on role designed for someone early in their career who wants to work on real flight systems. You will be exposed to the full lifecycle of spacecraft development, from simulation and algorithm design to integration, testing, and in-orbit operations. The ideal candidate is technically strong, highly motivated, and eager to take ownership and grow quickly in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the development of GNC algorithms for spacecraft attitude and orbit control

• Contribute to orbit determination and state estimation, including sensor fusion

• Assist in the design and testing of control systems for spacecraft manoeuvres and pointing

• Develop and maintain simulation environments for testing GNC performance

• Work with flight software engineers to support the implementation of GNC algorithms onboard

• Support hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) and system-level testing

• Analyse mission scenarios and contribute to GNC-related trade studies

• Assist during AIT campaigns, validating performance on real hardware

• Contribute to technical documentation and reporting

Key Skills & Experience:

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Astrodynamics, Control Engineering, Physics, or a related field

• Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics and spacecraft dynamics

• Understanding of control theory (e.g. PID, state-space methods, stability analysis)

• Familiarity with state estimation techniques (e.g. Kalman filtering)

• Experience with simulation and modelling tools (e.g. MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or similar)

• Basic programming skills in Python, MATLAB, or C/C++

• Exposure to spacecraft GNC concepts through academic projects, internships, or personal work

Essential Skills:

• Strong analytical and mathematical problem-solving ability

• Willingness to learn quickly and take ownership of technical work

• Clear and structured thinking, with good communication skills

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment

• Attention to detail and commitment to engineering quality

• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work across disciplines