Full-Time

Senior Mission Operations Engineer

Turion Space

Turion Space

201-500 employees

Develops in-space infrastructure for debris management

Compensation Overview

$130k - $190k/yr

+ Equity + 401(k) employer contribution

No H1B Sponsorship

Irvine, CA, USA

In Person

Alternate shifts, extended shifts, and travel may be required during peak work periods.

US Top Secret Clearance Required

Bachelor's

Category
Aerospace Engineering (2)
,
Required Skills
Python
MATLAB

Get referred to Turion Space

See people who can refer or advise you

Requirements
  • At least 3 years of experience in mission operations, spacecraft operations engineering, or related aerospace operations roles.
  • Deep understanding of mission operations concepts including constraints, procedures, ground systems, anomalies, and test-to-flight workflows.
  • Strong cross-disciplinary communication skills with the ability to interface effectively between engineering and operations teams.
  • Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and solve complex technical and operational issues.
  • Experience leading operational activities, rehearsals, or real-time operations.
  • Ability to obtain a TS/SCI clearance.
Responsibilities
  • Provide senior-level technical and operational expertise across all mission operations activities, serving as a subject-matter expert during testing, rehearsals, anomalies, and on-call operations.
  • Plan and coordinate cross-team project and mission execution activities, ensuring alignment between operations, systems engineering, guidance, navigation, and control, software, and ground teams.
  • Define, evaluate, document, and validate operational constraints across mission phases, and drive updates when requirements, risks, or design changes dictate.
  • Lead development, improvement, and validation of operational procedures, flight rules, and operator workflows to ensure accurate, consistent, and reliable execution.
  • Conduct and contribute to mission risk assessments, supporting identification of hazards, proposing mitigations, and ensuring risks influence design and operational decisions.
  • Support tactical operational execution with minimal oversight, including command sequencing, real-time decision-making, and interfacing with cross-disciplinary technical teams.
  • Maintain mission readiness by identifying preparation risks early, coordinating closures, validating tools and processes, and ensuring teams are prepared for rehearsals and flight.
  • Drive closure of operational gaps such as constraint updates, procedure improvements, workflow issues, and readiness blockers.
  • Coordinate interfaces with adjacent teams, ensuring operational implications are captured in system interfaces, requirements, and mission planning products.
  • Contribute to operator training, certification processes, onboarding materials, and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Mentor Mission Operations Engineers by providing guidance, technical development, and constructive feedback.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience across the full lifecycle of a space mission (design → integration → testing → rehearsals → commissioning → operations).
  • Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or related field, or equivalent work experience.
  • Hands-on experience with mission operations systems, ground software, or operations simulation environments.
  • Experience contributing to or developing procedures, flight rules, or constraints.
  • Familiarity with mission risk frameworks (hazards, FMEA, fault trees) or readiness assessments.
  • Scripting experience (Python, MATLAB) for operations automation, analysis, or workflow improvements.
  • Experience with mission planning, console operations, or operations process development.

Turion Space develops in-space infrastructure to tackle orbital debris and space situational awareness, using DROID satellites and the STARFIRE OS. The DROID satellites provide imaging and space-object tracking, while Starfire NEXUS lets customers deploy their own software and AI workloads on the satellites for on-orbit computing. The company designs and builds both hardware and software in-house, including mission planning, satellite bus, and propulsion, enabling faster execution and tighter control than many rivals. Its goal is to grow a space infrastructure platform that improves space traffic management and debris removal, serving both government and commercial customers in a multi-billion-dollar market.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$86.3M

Headquarters

Irvine, California

Founded

2021

Get referred to Turion Space

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • April 15, 2026 Series B raised $75+ million from Washington Harbour Partners.
  • April 7, 2026 Andromeda awarded Turion a $1.843 billion ceiling contract.
  • Turion says 28 U.S. government contracts and approximately 200 employees now support expansion.

What critics are saying

  • Andromeda won on April 7, 2026 drew 32 offers from major primes.
  • Turion targets 40 spacecraft yearly from eight; launch slips starve contracts.
  • A DROID anomaly or launch failure would destroy credibility and revenue.

What makes Turion Space unique

  • Turion’s January 2026 Tychee acquisition fused TMPL astrodynamics into Starfire.
  • DROID.001 and DROID.002 delivered 40,000 images and operational non-Earth imaging.
  • June 2025 Starfire NEXUS lets customers run payload software on orbit.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

Health Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid Vacation

Professional Development Budget

Company Social Events

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

3%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

-2%
Washington Technology
Apr 15th, 2026
Citra, Turion detail their newest capital raises.

Citra, Turion detail their newest capital raises. Stay Connected Find opportunities - and win them. April 15, 2026 02:09 PM ET Washington Harbour Partners led the Series A and B rounds for these startups focused on space, which is a priority area for the investment firm. Citra Space This developer of space object identification software has fetched $15 million in Series A capital to support the further development and deployment of the tools for government and commercial usage. Citra Space was founded in 2024 by former Air Force and Space Force officers with the goal of removing uncertainties from identification missions. The company designs its software to create fingerprint-like profiles of objects by bringing together data from multiple sources into a single view. At least 35,000 tracked objects are orbiting the Earth today but operators do not have enough context on roughly 10,000 of them to make decisions, according to Citra. A bulk of the Series A proceeds will go toward efforts at expanding the software platform's capability in understanding the behavioral patterns and intents of systems in space. Washington Harbour Partners led the Series A round that also brought in Industrious Partners and Reliable Properties as new investors in Citra. Existing investors Scout VC, Squadra Ventures, Alumni Ventures and Flex Capital are continuing their involvement. Turion Space This builder of satellites and other spacecraft for tracking debris has collected $75 million in Series B capital to aid efforts at ramping up its manufacturing and supply chain capacities. Turion Space was founded in 2021 by veterans from SpaceX and the advanced development arms of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Turion's touted government customer base includes NASA, Space Force, the Space Development Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office. With this newfound investment, Turion will push to increase its production output to 40 spacecraft per year from the current rate of eight per year. Turion has launched two missions to date, Droid.001 and Droid.002. Washington Harbour Partners led the Series B round, roughly one year after the investment firm first entered Turion's network of backers. Center15 Capital, Magnetar, HOF Capital and Industrious Ventures come in as new investors. Aurelia Foundry, Forward Deployed VC and FoundersX are continuing on as existing investors. More on Washington Harbour Partners Space has been an area of emphasis for the investment firm since it was founded in 2019 by Mina Faltas, who was previously the co-founder and co-managing director at Nokota Management. Washington Harbour owns Groundswell, Raft and SixGen. The firm also is heavily involved in venture capital activity, as shown by its leadership of the new capital rounds at Citra and Turion.

AIJourn
Apr 15th, 2026
Turion raises $75+ million Series B to accelerate U.S. Space superiority.

Turion raises $75+ million Series B to accelerate U.S. Space superiority. 0 3 minutes read The funding builds on the company's recent momentum and strong execution track record, positioning it to accelerate fleet deployment, expand intelligence collection for Space Domain Awareness, and scale distribution of its Starfire(TM) operating system. IRVINE, Calif., April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Turion Space, the space infrastructure company, today announces its $75+ million Series B financing round led by Washington Harbour Partners. Turion's Series B is building on its strong track record. Its first two missions (DROID.001 and DROID.002) were both operational successes and have delivered over 40,000 images to-date. The round includes pro-rata participation from existing investors, including Aurelia Foundry, Forward Deployed VC, and FoundersX. Turion also added new capital partners, including Center15 Capital, Magnetar, HOF Capital, and Industrious Ventures, with the raise. Turion delivers space superiority through integrated spacecraft, sensors, and software: * DROID spacecraft for dynamic space operations, including rendezvous, proximity and refueling operations. * Purpose-built payloads optimized for reconnaissance and surveillance. * Starfire software modules including mission planning and execution, autonomous tasking, and constellation command and control. These capabilities form a unified platform that delivers orbital intelligence and operations to U.S., Allies and commercial customers. The company has planned missions in LEO and GEO, leveraging a software-defined architecture that supports multi-sensor missions without locking operators into a single payload. "This capital accelerates the fleet, expands reconnaissance coverage for Space Domain Awareness, and scales Starfire from constellation command to theater-scale operations. We're building a dependable, sovereign-grade infrastructure layer that strengthens deterrence today - and lays the groundwork for responsible in-space resource utilization tomorrow - securing enduring space superiority for U.S. and Allies," said Ryan Westerdahl, co-founder and CEO of Turion. What the funding enables * Increased manufacturing throughput and supply-chain depth to take spacecraft production capacity from 8 vehicles per year to a target of 40, increasing annual production capacity five-fold. * Fleet proliferation to increase continuous observation and frequency of non-earth imaging across LEO and GEO. This begins with Turion's ongoing efforts with the U.S. Space Force's STRATFI program with 3 planned launches to LEO and GEO. * Expand high-resolution, non-Earth imaging to identify, track, and characterize orbital objects - delivering timely, decision-quality Space Domain Awareness to U.S. and allied operators - while building on Turion's accelerated progress within the NRO's commercial remote sensing initiative. * Starfire(TM) scale-up (Mission Planning, Tasking, Command & Control) for larger, more automated multi-satellite operations, supporting both Turion-owned spacecraft and third-party constellations. Traction and momentum Founded in 2021 by veterans from SpaceX, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Boeing Phantom Works, and joined by executives from Palantir, Turion has rapidly established itself as a foundational player in U.S. space superiority. To date, Turion has been awarded 28 U.S. government contracts and is advancing multiple efforts spanning the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Space Force, Space Development Agency (SDA), and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Turion's multi-billion-dollar pipeline reflects accelerating demand for space superiority missions including space domain awareness, missile warning and tracking, orbital resilience, and multi-spectral remote sensing. "The U.S. cannot secure what it cannot see - and today, our visibility in orbit remains constrained by legacy systems," said Mina Faltas, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Washington Harbour Partners. "Turion is solving that with a fundamentally different approach: purpose-built satellites integrated with software to deliver real-time intelligence where speed and clarity matter most. They're building the operational backbone for space domain awareness. We're proud to double down on our investment in Turion and lead this round." About Turion Turion is building the commercial infrastructure layer for orbit. The AI Journal Ltd. deliver sovereign-grade orbital intelligence and operations through its DROID satellite fleet and STARFIRE(TM) operating system, starting with resolved Non-Earth Imaging (NEI) for Space Domain Awareness and expanding to multi-sensor, maneuverable missions from LEO to GEO. Turion is the first NOAA-licensed commercial provider of resolved NEI in the United States, with operational satellites delivering real-time intelligence from orbit. Turion employs approximately 200 people at its Irvine, California headquarters. Its long-term vision is dependable infrastructure that ultimately enables responsible resource utilization in space - ensuring U.S. and Allied space superiority while expanding humanity's productive frontier and the commercialization of space. About Washington Harbour Partners Washington Harbour Partners, based in Washington DC, is a private investment firm that brings a fresh approach to investors and founders, providing flexibility and deep operational expertise at all stages of the investment cycle - from growth equity to control buyouts to public markets. The firm has deep domain expertise in the areas of national security, defense technologies, cybersecurity, enterprise software, and technology-enabled services. Media Contacts Turion - [email protected] Washington Harbour Partners - [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the expected closing of financing, deployment timelines, program participation, product capabilities, and market opportunities. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the risk that closing conditions are not satisfied or approvals are delayed or not obtained, and risks inherent in designing, manufacturing, launching, and operating spacecraft and software at scale. Turion undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, except as required by law. SOURCE Turion Space 7 minutes ago 8 minutes ago

PR Newswire
Apr 15th, 2026
Turion Space raises $75M+ Series B to scale spacecraft production and intelligence operations

Turion Space has raised more than $75 million in a Series B round led by Washington Harbour Partners, bringing total funding to support its space infrastructure platform. The company builds spacecraft, sensors and software for space domain awareness and orbital operations. Founded in 2021, Turion has launched two operational missions delivering over 40,000 images to date. The Irvine-based startup has secured 28 US government contracts with NASA, the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. The funding will increase spacecraft production capacity from eight to 40 vehicles annually and expand its Starfire operating system for constellation command and control. Turion plans missions in low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit, focusing on reconnaissance and surveillance for US and allied customers. The company employs approximately 200 people.

Turion Space
Jan 13th, 2026
Turion Space Corp. Acquires Tychee Research Group to Accelerate Autonomous Space Operations and Mission Engineering

Turion Space Corp. acquires Tychee Research Group to accelerate autonomous space operations and mission engineering. Acquisition brings Tychee Mission Planning Library (TMPL) and a world-class astrodynamics team into Turion's Starfire platform, enabling faster, more resilient, software-defined space missions Turion Space Corp. ("Turion"), a space infrastructure company that builds and operates mission-grade spacecraft and space operations software, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Tychee Research Group ("Tychee"), a Los Angeles-based company specializing in high-speed, high-fidelity astrodynamics and advanced mission engineering. Tychee's flagship product, the Tychee Mission Planning Library (TMPL), is a high-performance astronautics software library built to support the full space system lifecycle. The product suite extends from concept design and modeling and simulation, to ground software and flight software running onboard spacecraft. TMPL is trusted in mission-critical environments and is designed for secure deployment and embedded execution, bringing mission engineering closer to real-time operations. With Tychee joining Turion, TMPL will be integrated into Turion's Starfire software ecosystem. This unites mission planning, maneuver optimization, and autonomous operations into a single, software-defined platform that scales from desktop analysis to on-orbit execution. "Turion's mission is to unleash the potential of Earth orbit, and software is what makes spacecraft usable at scale," said Ryan Westerdahl, CEO and Co-Founder of Turion Space Corp. "This acquisition brings an exceptional team and mission planning capability into Turion. Our mission-engineering logic will support everything from trade studies to operational decision-making and on-orbit autonomy." Space missions are demanding faster planning cycles, higher fidelity, and the ability to adapt in real time in constrained and secure environments. Traditional mission design tools were built for the era of desktop-centric workflows, limited integration into flight software, and slow paths from analysis to operations. Tychee and Turion are combining to remove those bottlenecks. The integration of Starfire + TMPL creates an embeddable mission-engineering SDK paired with operator applications that run the same algorithms on the ground and onboard spacecraft, backed by secure deployment options and a web-driven user experience designed to broaden adoption. With Tychee's mission engineering and astrodynamics capabilities embedded into Turion's platform, the combined company will accelerate progress across: * End-to-end mission ownership: Turion expands its ability to own outcomes across the full mission stack so operators can move faster from intent to execution. * Autonomous, software-defined operations: TMPL's performance and flight-software orientation strengthens Starfire's ability to support advanced missions, including real-time maneuver planning and autonomy-oriented workflows. * Scaled adoption across the space ecosystem: TMPL's product-first library model expands Turion's reach across government, commercial, academic, and partner organizations. Rob Brady, founder of Tychee Research Group, will join Turion as Chief Product Officer, leading the product strategy and go-to-market execution for TMPL within the Starfire platform. "I'm excited to bring TMPL to market with Turion," said Rob Brady, Chief Product Officer of Turion Space Corp. and founder of Tychee Research Group. "TMPL was built to be fast and usable across modeling and simulation, ground software, and flight software. Combined with Turion's Starfire platform and spacecraft capabilities, we're delivering mission-engineering infrastructure that is operationally native." Tychee and TMPL continue to support multiple clients and advanced, operational programs. TMPL will support current users and mission needs, with expanded integration and product evolution underway as part of Turion's Starfire portfolio. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. About Tychee Research Group. Tychee Research Group, founded in 2018 and based in Los Angeles, California, specializes in space mission engineering, modeling and simulation, and advanced algorithms for dual-use space capabilities. Tychee's flagship product, the Tychee Mission Planning Library (TMPL), delivers high-performance, high-fidelity astrodynamics and mission planning functionality designed to span analysis, operations, and embedded onboard execution. Media contact. Justin Mikolay Turion Space Corp. [email protected] This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding product integration, roadmap plans, and expected customer benefits. Actual results may differ materially due to a variety of risks and uncertainties.

Turion Space
Jun 3rd, 2025
Turion Space Announces Launch of STARFIRE NEXUS with Critical Software and Tychee Research Group as Flagship Customers

Turion Space is proud to introduce Starfire NEXUS; a breakthrough platform designed to democratize access to on-orbit compute and redefine what's possible in space.