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Be ready for orbital mechanics (two-body, perturbations, maneuvers), numerical methods, and how you’d debug a bad ephemeris or plan a station-keeping burn. Walk through past analyses end-to-end: assumptions, tools, validation, and ops handoff—framed for Planet’s multi-satellite context.
Strong fit if you enjoy rigorous orbit math, simulation, and production spacecraft constraints, and want San Francisco–based R&D at Planet rather than pure app engineering. Weak DATA on culture and pay means you should probe team scope, tools, and total comp in the process.
As a Flight Dynamics Engineer on Orbits R&D at Planet, expect to model and refine satellite orbits, run maneuver analyses, validate ephemerides, and work with guidance/ops stakeholders on constellation health. Days mix simulation, review of flight data, and design trade-offs for stability, fuel, and coverage.
Prioritize orbital mechanics, numerical integration, estimation/filtering, and scripting for analysis pipelines. No certification list was provided for this family; depth in math, simulation, and flight-software interfaces matters more than vendor certs here.
No. The listing is San Francisco, CA with remote set to off—expect on-site or hybrid local presence.
Flight dynamics for constellation/orbit research: modeling, maneuvers, validation, and collaboration with ops and spacecraft teams at Planet.
No. CERTS provided no family or resources; prepare via fundamentals and project depth, not a fixed cert path.
Website: planet.com
Public cache only — not an employee review.
Planet is seeking a Flight Dynamics Engineer specializing in Orbits R&D for our San Francisco, CA headquarters, where you'll drive technical decisions for the world's premier satellite constellation. This full-time position requires three days per week on-site at our San Francisco office. What This Role Involves You will develop flight dynamics engineering and mission planning capabilities that optimize the performance of Planet's multi-platform satellite system, encompassing Dove, SkySat, Pelican, and Tanager fleets. The position centers on applying orbital mechanics expertise to complex software systems—addressing trajectory optimization, state estimation, conjunction mitigation, and scheduling algorithms that directly affect constellation efficiency and business outcomes. What You'll Do Design and build software systems addressing current and future mission design challenges across Planet's satellite portfolio. Evaluate constellation architectural trade-offs through rigorous first-principles orbital analysis to guide fleet evolution. Develop and operationalize automation for maneuver planning, collision assessment, and imaging schedule optimization across multiple satellite types. Collaborate with flight operations, ground systems, and constellation management teams to enhance existing fleet effectiveness and unlock new mission capabilities. Conduct detailed analytical studies on contact windows and imaging sequencing to maximize operational value. Skills & Qualifications Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, or related technical field Two to three years of professional experience in aerospace, space systems, or comparable technical domain Working knowledge of orbital dynamics and space mission operations Hands-on experience with C++ and Python development Capability to ground analysis in physical first principles and implement working prototypes rapidly Excellent technical communication in both written and verbal formats Preferred background includes: Exposure to satellite constellation design trade studies Experience building or enhancing propagation software, uncertainty characterization, low-energy trajectory design, automated maneuver sequencing, or constellation resource optimization systems History with professional software practices including code review, test automation, and deployment pipelines About Planet Planet fields the world's most capable satellite constellation for daily Earth observation, serving commercial, environmental, and humanitarian organizations globally. As both a space hardware innovator and data technology company, Planet integrates satellite design, manufacturing, data collection, and cloud analytics into one unified system. With operations centered in San Francisco and additional offices across Washington DC and…
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