Astrodynamics Analyst in Chantilly, Virginia at Space Systems Integration

SSI is seeking an Astrodynamics Analyst to join our team in Chantilly, VA.

This candidate will serve as the government’s independent evaluator for mission
architectures, trajectory design, orbital mechanics, and autonomous guidance systems. You will conduct high-fidelity modeling of very advanced maneuvering and orbit determination strategies for satellites in Earth orbits, including LEO, MEO, and GEO. You will work on maneuvering and/or orbit determination together with top-level satellite designers and operations planners who will leverage your analyses to inform critical decisions for cutting-edge systems. As part of an agile group including experts in sensing and AI, you will collaboratively simulate integrated operations concepts at scale with support from our cloud computing and supercomputing specialists. Expect regular opportunities to meet with and present findings to local elite government customers.

Role and Responsibilities include:

• Develop and evaluate novel complex orbital maneuvering strategies using high-level programming languages. Analyses will include large orbit changes as well as multi-satellite Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) and launch trajectories.
• Model and analyze associated orbit determination operations using data from our space surveillance sensing experts.
• Conduct independent trade studies and technical assessments.
• Review and validate technical metrics, algorithm descriptions, and data products provided by external teams.
• Successfully drive critical national decisions by translating complex behaviors and findings into clear, actionable technical briefings and documentation.

• Must possess an active Top Secret/SCI clearance with the ability to obtain a Polygraph.
• Master's degree in engineering and ten (10) or more years of experience.
• Key Technical & Capability Requirements include:
  • Multi-Body Orbital Dynamics: Mastery of non-Keplerian dynamics, N-body physics, Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP), and orbital propagation in chaotic gravitational fields.
  • Cislunar Orbit Expertise: Expertise reviewing vendor trajectories for Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits (NRHO), Distant Retrograde Orbits (DRO), Halo orbits, and Earth-Moon Lagrange points (L1, L2 ).
  • Transfer Techniques: Technical evaluation of Ballistic Lunar Transfers (BLT), low-energy transfers, weak stability boundary (WSB) trajectories, and spacecraft v budgets.
  • Autonomous GNC & OpNav: Oversight of Guidance, Navigation, and Control algorithms, autonomous Optical Navigation (OpNav), feature tracking, and Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) state estimation without GPS dependency.
  • SETA Oversight Duties: Performs independent verification and validation
    (IV&V) of vendor trajectory modeling (e.g., STK, FreeFlyer, MONTAGNE,
    Copericus) during Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews (PDR/CDR).