Job Description

About Us

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Space Machines Company (SMC) is transforming the future of space operations with a bold mission: to deliver Roadside Assistance in Space.

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Why Join Us

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We're a start-up — things move fast, resources are lean, and we're building as we go.

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What we offer is opportunity: to learn at speed, grow with the company, and leave your fingerprints on something that's never been done before. At Space Machines Company, engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers join forces to push the limits of what's possible.

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If you want to build technology designed to protect and power humanity's future in space — and see your work make a visible impact — this is where you'll do it.

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How We Work

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We are builders first.

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We approach every challenge through a cycle of design, build, test, and refine — making ideas real, learning from results, and improving with each iteration.

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We challenge assumptions to make sure we're solving the right problems, and we strengthen our solutions through collaboration and feedback.

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We use process where it adds value and set it aside where it slows us down. There are a lot of firsts here, and we meet them with curiosity and courage.

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We win as one team.

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Requirements

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As our Astrodynamics Engineer, you play a central role in bringing efficient, adaptable orbital dynamics computations to our online systems.

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You spend your time analysing complex orbital scenarios, liaising with our Guidance, Navigation and Control team on approaches and options, testing and implementing best-in-breed solutions and integrating them into our online C2 systems — and shaping how we grow.

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In this role, you own outcomes from end to end, including:

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- Orbital Scenario Identification - Identify orbital scenarios relevant to satisfying the requirements of our online Command and Control systems.
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- Solution Design & Testing - Design and test solutions using a broad range of approaches including analytical, numerical,



hybrid propagators, third-party libraries, in-house developed algorithms, and novel techniques.
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- Orbit Change Optimisation - Determine the most efficient means of performing large orbit changes, trading propellant usage against the time taken to complete the orbit change. Document trade-offs and pros and cons of different approaches.
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- Verification & Validation - Verify and validate proposed solutions for correctness and applicability.
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- Systems Integra tion - Work with back-end engineers to integrate solutions into our online systems. Help bridge language, platform and toolkit differences between analytical solutions and production online systems. Work with front-end engineers to bring these solutions to life for our customers.
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- GNC Collaboration - Work closely with the Guidance, Navigation and Control team to ensure orbital mechanics solutions align with spacecraft capabilities, sensor performance, and control authority.
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- Staying Current - Stay current with state-of-the-art orbital mechanics analysis and emerging approaches. Evaluate new techniques and tools that could enhance our analytical capabilities or operational efficiency.
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About You

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You'll thrive in this role if you bring:

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- A builder's mindset — turning ideas and theory into working systems through hands-on development, simulation, and testing.
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- An iterative approach — designing, building, testing, learning, and improving with each cycle. Comfortable with weekly integration cadence and rapid validation of new algorithms.
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- Collaboration and curiosity — working across disciplines and exploring beyond your own expertise. Exploring beyond your own expertise to solve novel problems in novel ways.
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- Adaptability and ownership — thriving in a fast-scaling, evolving environment where requirements emerge from building. Driving outcomes end to end without waiting for perfect specifications.
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Proven experience

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- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or a related discipline eg Space Engineering
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- 5+ years working with orbital mechanics delivering complex solutions
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- Strong familiarity and experience with a variety of propagation algorithms and tools
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- Analytical, numerical and hybrid propagation algorithms
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- GMAT, STK, MATLAB/Simulink etc
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- Polyglot programming experience with several of MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Rust, C++, Elixir/Erlang
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- Testing in a variety of environments/frameworks
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Bonus experience

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- Experience with proximity manoeuvres, formation flying
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- Experience with continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD)
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- Knowledge and experience in spacecraft attitude dynamics
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- Mission planning experience
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- Familiarity with Git and GitHub
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- Use of AI LLMs to assist in technical development
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Advantages

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You won't get rich quickly. But you'll get:

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- Competitive salary - Fair pay for hard work. Commensurate with experience and the impact you'll have.
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- Meaningful equity (ESOP) - Real ownership stake. Stock options that matter because you're joining early enough for them to matter. If we win, you win.
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- Actual leave - Annual leave plus personal/sick days. Because even warriors need to recover.
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- Public holidays - All of them.
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- And freedom. Real freedom to build, decide, and move without waiting for permission. That's not a benefit you'll find in a package description, but it's worth more than most perks on this list.
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📌 Astrodynamics Engineer (New South Wales)
🏢 Space Machines
📍 New South Wales