Guidance – Navigation and Control Engineer

SWISSto12 is one of the world’s fastest-growing aerospace companies,  evolving from its pioneering use of 3D printing technologies for  high-performance Radio Frequency (RF) products and applications to  recently announcing the manufacture of entire geostationary telecom  satellites, called HummingSat, that define a new category in space.

HummingSat is the world’s first commercial telecom GEO SmallSat developed in  collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). Its uniquely compact size combined with highly capable telecom payloads allows  telecommunications operators to deploy a cost-efficient, compact, and  agile asset without sacrificing performance or security. HummingSat has  been selected by Intelsat to build the I-45 satellite, by Inmarsat to  build three I-8 satellites, and recently by Astrum Mobile to build the  NEASTAR-1 satellite.

SWISSto12 is also a leading provider of  Radio-Frequency (RF) products and sub-systems for satellite  communication and remote sensing applications. The company’s patented 3D printing technologies and associated product designs are unique to  deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF  products.

We are looking for an GNC Engineer to be part of our development and customer program for our HummingSat GEO satellite product line.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the units of the GNC subsystem as well as the attitude control of the entire system.
• Requirements definition, traceability, verification, and validation planning and execution.
• Lead GNC system validation campaigns using worst-case and/or Monte Carlo approaches in simulated, Processor-in-the-Loop (PIL), and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments, including campaign planning, test preparation, execution, results assessment, and reporting.
• Support the analysis and modelling of GNC systems to meet mission requirements, including attitude determination and control, orbit determination, momentum management, and propulsion manoeuvres.
• Support the design and optimization of algorithms and control strategies for satellite attitude and orbit control systems and perform simulations and analysis to validate system performance under various operational scenarios.

• Support spacecraft-level integration and testing, including writing detailed test specifications, reviewing test procedures, coordinating test readiness and execution, reviewing test data, and leading troubleshooting efforts
• Provide support to mission operations during satellite launch, orbit raising, and on station operations phases.
• Generate quality technical documentation and deliver clear and concise presentations.
• Collaborate with technical staff, program managers, and executive management as well as customers and suppliers.
• Occasionally, you will be asked to participate in overall tasks and services inherent to a dynamic fast-growing company.

Requirements

• Knowledge of controls theory, orbital dynamics, and GNC systems.
• At least three years of demonstrated experience in spacecraft GNC testing and validation, including the planning and execution of validation campaigns in open- and closed-loop simulation, Processor-in-the-Loop (PIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), system-level testbeds, and/or spacecraft-level environments.
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink.
• Demonstrated experience defining test plans and procedures, preparing test environments, assessing test results against requirements, and leading the investigation and resolution of test anomalies.
• Real-world experience with system architecture, requirements definition, flow down, tracking and performing system-level analyses in support of trade studies.
• Proven ability to know when and how to trade-off and optimize performance, resolve complex technical problems, manage technical work with partners, lead validation activities and conduct technical development projects.
• Good understanding of principles for spacecraft design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, and operation
• Experience with managing customer and supplier interfaces.
• Ability      to “think outside of the box” and thrive in challenging trade-off      parameter space
• Customer      focused, must be able to work on a self-initiated basis and in a team      environment
• Excellent      communication skills and ease at working across different cultures and      different levels of an organization
• Demonstrated      ability to write clear technical documentation of high quality

Benefits

Further details to be shared by our recruitment team.

More about SWISSto12:SWISSto12 has successfully established contracts with Intelsat, Inmarsat, Astrum  Mobile and ESA for HummingSat as well as contracts for their RF product  line in Europe, and the US with prominent partners and customers such as Thales, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SES and the ESA. SWISSto12  is a spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European  Investors. SWISSto12 is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and  operates a US and European-subsidiariesy in Foster City California. The  company is well funded for its near and mid-term developments and backed by a solid customer revenue stream.