Junior Orbital Dynamics Engineer (Remote)

• Location: This is a remote position. The candidate must reside in New Zealand, preferably in Aukland.
• Status: Temporary Employee
• Duration: 12 months / 40 hours a week
• Obligations: Must be available from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, New Zealand Standard Time when on shift, regular hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Who we are and what we do

NorthStar Earth & Space uses optical telescope data as the building blocks to create information services tailored to the needs and requirements of clients from both government and industry. Our extensive development portfolio includes orbital dynamics and machine learning algorithms for a variety of applications for space domain awareness and space traffic management. With headquarters in Montreal, Canada, European headquarters in Luxembourg and a wholly owned subsidiary in McLean, Virginia, the company is solving the ever-increasing threat of space collisions and empowering humanity to preserve our planet.

NorthStar is looking for a junior Orbital Dynamics Engineer in the Pacific region to contribute as a subject matter expert (SME) to a U.S. space operation contract by providing analysis space object activity using various Space Situational Awareness (SSA) tracking data. The SME will also contribute to the product development of the tools used in the context of the operations.

Who you’ll work with

You will be joining a navigation ops team dedicated to performing real time SSA function, using the NorthStar orbital dynamics product suite.

You will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, software developers and product owners based in Montreal who is dedicated to developing innovative solutions for monitoring the space environment using multiple sources for observations and geospatial data.

What you will do

• Monitor SSA operations activity and task request from the client during ops hours from New Zealand Standard Time.
• When not on duty for operations, the regular hours apply.
• Monitor NorthStar orbit determination product pipeline for contributions to client needs.
• Provide subject matter expertise in terms of examination and assessment of metric and photometric live data feed, monitoring orbital changes and the estimation of orbital characteristics.
• Adjust models and re-process NorthStar orbit determination to refine solutions.
• Perform ad-hoc analyses and script development to provide intel to the client. This includes initial orbit determination, state vector estimation, anomaly detection, and maneuver determination.
• Reporting results, progress, and compliance internally and to client.

Support the development of NorthStar’s core tools by contributing to the product development team.

What you bring to the table

• A minimum of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, Science, or fields related to astrodynamics is required, or any other relevant combination of education and experience may be considered.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience working with Orbit Determination and/or spacecraft navigation and/or space mission operations is desired.
• Internship and/or an academic project related to orbit determination or satellite operations is desired.
• Experience/knowledge of orbital mechanics is required.
• Experience/knowledge of estimation theory is desired.
• Experience in code development in Python or equivalent scripting language is preferred.
• Familiarity with Orekit or equivalent libraries is desired.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team, to think independently and handle multitask environments.
• You’re a strong communicator. You can adapt your communication style to different audiences and can translate complex information into simple words.

What you can expect

• Contribute to a company whose mission is the sustainability of our planet and Space.
• You will work with a highly collaborative team of world-class experts in different domains. This will provide you with better awareness of challenges in Space and on Earth and their impact on our environment.
• A stimulating challenge and a high-visibility project

• A competitive salary

Learn more about us

• Watch the recording of our satellite launch from Aukland, NZ, on January 31, 2024
• Follow us on Linkedin for the latest updates
• Visite our media page
• Watch a video of our CEO’s keynote presentations at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Montreal on November 2023:
  • Recording from 19:17′ to 28:08′
  • Recording from 06:03′ to 15:20′

How to apply?

To apply, click on the “Apply for This Job” button to share your resume and cover letter if you have one.

NorthStar is committed to creating and fostering a safe and inclusive work environment where our employees feel valued and heard. We strongly encourage applications from candidates from different backgrounds who can bring greater diversity to the way we think, including racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities and persons of all ages, backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.