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GNC Engineer (Optical Systems)

Impulse Space

USD 125k-155k / year + Equity

Posted on Jun 6, 2026

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As a Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer (Optical Systems) at Impulse Space, you will own all aspects of and provide outstanding technical contribution to star trackers and optical navigation systems in all phases of development and operation while working closely with a fast paced, agile team.

Department: Autonomous Systems
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Redondo Beach
Workplace type: Onsite
Compensation: $125,000 - $155,000 / year

Responsibilities

Implement GNC flight, test, and analysis artifacts for high-performance GNC-adjacent optical systems produced at scale
Develop robust identification, attitude resolution, and object detection algorithms for star trackers and other imaging systems
Quantify and verify expected sensor performance via first-principles, simulation, and hardware verification
Contribute to vehicle-level attitude determination improvements and analyses
Participate in software development, both flight code and simulation
Create tools for ground and on-orbit development, alignments, and verification, enabling new iterations and design decisions to be realized quickly
Resolve technical issues with innovative, resourceful solutions
Communicate design needs, intent, and capability to the broader engineering team
Support relative navigation and optical communication imaging systems
For Senior and higher, mentor other engineers and define the best practices for sensor-level design and integration into space vehicles

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in engineering discipline
2+ years of experience in image processing and optical analysis
Proficiency in Matlab and C++
Demonstrated experience with camera systems and fundamentals of attitude determination
Experience with sensor noise modeling, photometric calibration, or low-light imaging

Preferred Skills and Experience

Master’s or PhD in aerospace, electrical, computer science, or related degree
Strong mathematical background in Kalman filtering and probability analysis
Demonstrated experience in developing star tracker starlight-in-quaternion-out algorithms
Experience with ground-based testing of optical systems
Experience with computer vision, machine learning, or pattern recognition in imaging systems
Experience in a startup or agile development environment
Experience in spacecraft GNC fundamentals and vehicle interactions with high-performance optical systems

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse 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.

About Impulse Space

Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.

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Our Hiring Process

Stage 1:

Application Received

Stage 2:

Resume Review

Stage 3:

Intro Phone Interview

Stage 4:

Technical Phone Interview(s)

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