GNC Engineer
K2 Space
GNC Engineer
K2 Space
Provides cost-effective, high-capability satellite buses
K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion 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 in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward 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 high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.
The Role
You will be the core driver of the spacecraft’s orbital and guidance systems – including low thrust trajectory optimization and mission planning, while executing detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement these strategies, and supporting business development in mission planning and constellation design.
In the first 3 months, you will own and execute the development of the K2 trajectory optimization tooling, standing up the software pipeline to take a trajectory, prove optimality, convert to burn plans, and feed into the K2 ground software for autonomous burn execution. In the first 6 months you will develop the trajectory optimization and mission design capabilities to define how, how fast, and on how much fuel K2 can fly the Mega and Giga spacecraft from LEO to MEO, GTO to cislunar, from launch to a Mars capture orbit. In the first 6 months you will design and implement the core GNC algorithms that fly the spacecraft, with a particular focus on algorithms for on orbit station keeping and low thrust orbit raise. In the first year, you will support on orbit operations of multiple K2 spacecraft flying multiple different K2 developed trajectories.
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Nice to Have
Compensation and Benefits:
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.
K2 Space provides cost-effective, high-capability satellite buses—the main structure and systems of a satellite excluding the payload. Buses include core subsystems such as power, attitude control, propulsion, thermal management, and communications, and are modular for customers to add their own payloads, enabling large satellites at a lower cost. The company focuses on the bus to decouple payload costs from spacecraft, leveraging an experienced team from SpaceX and Blue Origin to offer affordable, scalable platforms for commercial, scientific, and defense missions. Its goal is to unlock ambitious space missions by making high-capability satellites affordable and expanding opportunities in space exploration and development.
Explore more opportunities at K2 Space