---
title: 'Mission Assurance Engineer at The Exploration Company'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mission-assurance-engineer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-7024zqa79rkf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Mission Assurance Engineer at The Exploration Company

- **Company:** [The Exploration Company](https://feeny.ai/companies/the-exploration-company)
- **Location:** Bordeaux, France
- **Compensation:** €42k–€83k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-05-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/the-exploration-company/e1371879-661c-49a6-9f5e-975b8211a162/application

**Skills:** FMECA, FTA, PRA, RAM, Reliability block diagrams, Fault tolerance, Redundancy management, Failure detection, Failure isolation, Failure recovery, Spacecraft systems, Orbital mechanics, Avionics, Propulsion, Thermal control, Life support systems, FDIR logic development, Watchdog strategies, Fault response sequences

> The Mission Assurance Engineer owns the end-to-end safety and reliability strategy for the Nyx spacecraft orbital vehicle. This role involves assessing pre-flight risks, performing failure mode analyses, defining fault management architectures, and driving mission readiness through data-driven decision-making and an...

## Job description

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building innovative aerospace technologies that advance the future of space transportation. We are looking for a Mission Assurance Engineer to own the end-to-end strategy that ensures our spacecraft is safe, reliable, and mission ready. In this role you will be embedded with the design, test, and operations teams, driving the vehicle safety architecture as well as relentlessly driving risk down and availability up.

## Key Responsibilities

- Ownership of the vehicle safety architecture making sure it meets all safety & reliability requirements (both internal and external from ISS program, ESA and CNES on entry safety).
- Responsible for assessing pre-flight risks and potential mitigations with vehicle design, analysis, and operations teams.
- Perform and review FMECA, FTA, PRA, and RAM analyses to identify risks and failure modes.
- Define and validate the spacecraft fault management and FDIR architecture.
- Work with avionics, software, and operations teams to implement fault management strategies and ensure safe behavior under off-nominal conditions.
- Support on-console operations as the Mission Assurance representative and drive in-flight anomaly resolution. Ensure lessons learned feed directly back into design and FDIR improvements.
- Champion a culture of mission assurance. Instill first-principles thinking, disciplined verification, and data-driven decision-making.
- Report to program leadership on RAMS status, residual risk, and flight readiness.
- Drive corrective actions from anomalies, test failures, and operational events back into design improvements.

What we would love to see from you The ideal candidate will have:

- Master’s degree in an engineering or science discipline.
- Proficiency with reliability tools (e.g., FMECA, FTA, reliability block diagrams).
- Understanding of fault tolerance, redundancy management, and failure detection/isolation/recovery.
- Technical knowledge of spacecraft systems and operations (e.g., communications, orbital mechanics, avionics, propulsion, thermal control, life support systems).
- Strong written and verbal communication of technical information.
- Able to effectively manage projects and tasks while meeting aggressive deadlines.
- Thrives under pressure and is resilient in the face of technical challenges.
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.

Bonus qualifications

- Experience developing and validating FDIR logic, watchdog strategies, and fault response sequences.
- Previous experience in a customer-facing role working through design requirements, test acceptance, and verification (especially with a government customer such as CNES/ESA/NASA).
- Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and human spaceflight.

Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:

- We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind
- We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them
- We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible.

If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.

## About The Exploration Company

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: The Exploration Company (TEC) is building a full-stack space transportation platform, including a reusable space capsule (Nyx) and a high-thrust rocket engine (Storm), to democratize access to space.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B)
- **Headquarters**: Munich, Germany (HQ); additional offices in Bordeaux (France), Luxembourg, Turin (Italy), Houston (Texas, USA), and Dubai/Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Hélène Huby (CEO) and a team of aerospace veterans

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Space transportation, aerospace engineering, orbital logistics
- **Target customers**: Space station operators, satellite operators, government space agencies (e.g., NASA), commercial space companies (B2B, B2G)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "To build space vehicles for humanity, enabling everyone to participate peacefully in the building of our human future." [exploration.space](https://exploration.space/about)

## Products & Services
- **Nyx**: A reusable space capsule designed to dock with any space station, capable of carrying cargo (and eventually crew) to low-Earth orbit. It is the company’s first commercial vehicle.
- **Storm**: A high-thrust, staged-combustion rocket engine delivering up to 180 tons of thrust, designed to power a globally competitive, reusable launcher.
- **Mission Bikini**: A first demonstrator capsule built for ballistic reentry, completed from paper sketch to flight-ready in nine months.
- **Mission Possible**: A second demonstrator capsule built for controlled re-entry and recovery with cargo, completed in two years.
- **Orbital Propulsion**: In-house development of avionics, flight software, guidance/navigation/control (GNC), and reusable thrusters.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: $210.06M (Series B, with a $160M round raised approximately two years ago) [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/the-exploration-company)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by tier-one investors; first European company to sign a Space Act Agreement with NASA; board includes figures like Mike Griffin (former NASA Administrator) and Yo-Yo Ma (cellist and board advisor) [exploration.space](https://exploration.space/about)
- **Growth Signals**: 10 missions already booked; two demonstrator capsules built in under three years; team of 450+ employees spanning 35 nationalities; offices in 6 locations across Europe, the US, and the UAE; named one of the fastest-growing space companies worldwide.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed of execution**: Demonstrated ability to go from concept to flight-ready hardware in 9–24 months, far faster than traditional aerospace.
- **Reusability focus**: Both Nyx and Storm are designed for rapid reuse, dramatically lowering per-mission costs.
- **Open-source vehicle design**: TEC’s approach is intentionally collaborative, fostering partnerships across countries and with NASA.
- **Full-stack capability**: Controls the entire space transportation stack (capsule, engine, avionics, software), reducing dependency on external suppliers.
- **European base with global reach**: Positioned as a key European player in the new space economy, with strong government and commercial ties.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercial cargo missions**: First priority is launching Nyx to serve low-Earth orbit space stations (both public and private).
- **Engine development**: Continuing work on Storm to power a future European launcher.
- **International expansion**: Deepening presence in the US (Houston office) and UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi office).
- **Talent scaling**: Growing the team from 450+ to meet mission milestones, with a focus on engineering, production, and digital roles.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasizes speed, execution, and ownership. Values include Excellence, Teamwork, Integrity, and "Space for everyone." The company prides itself on gathering diverse, international talent from both space and non-space backgrounds.
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Offers flexibility and remote work opportunities depending on the role, but encourages a hybrid approach where possible. [exploration.space](https://www.exploration.space/careers)
- **Relocation Support**: Yes, the company provides relocation assistance and work permit/visa support for new hires.
- **Notable Perks**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge space vehicles from day one; internal mobility encouraged; background check required for all offers.
- **Engineering Culture**: Leadership includes aerospace veterans who have worked on major global space programs. The team is 450+ strong, representing 35 nationalities, with a flat, fast-moving structure.

## Sources
1. [exploration.space - Home](https://exploration.space/)
2. [exploration.space - About](https://exploration.space/about)
3. [exploration.space - Careers](https://www.exploration.space/careers)
4. [cbinsights.com - The Exploration Company](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/the-exploration-company)
5. [Wikipedia - The Exploration Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exploration_Company)

## Other roles at The Exploration Company

- [Senior Embedded Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-embedded-software-engineer-the-exploration-company-munich-jnsjg431w510) — Munich, Germany
- [Flight Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/flight-software-engineer-the-exploration-company-munich-yc91tetavgaq) — Munich, Germany
- [Fluid Systems Development Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/fluid-systems-development-engineer-the-exploration-company-munich-e70h236r2z2a) — Munich, Germany
- [Propulsion Functional Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-functional-engineer-the-exploration-company-munich-f5ndt62c0evx) — Munich, Germany
- [Internship - Radiation Testing of Electronic Components and Test Automation](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-radiation-testing-of-electronic-components-and-test-automation-the-dyybdp5p85c9) — Munich, Germany
- [ISS Integration & Certification Senior Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/iss-integration-certification-senior-engineer-the-exploration-company-houston-4ydmz8mg1raq) — Houston, TX
- [MAIT Additive Manufacturing Materials Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/mait-additive-manufacturing-materials-intern-the-exploration-company-dusseldorf-gr53a5aqfqn3) — Düsseldorf, Germany
- [Senior Environment Health & Safety Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-environment-health-safety-engineer-the-exploration-company-munich-jfyt4qx5psbc) — Munich, Germany
- [Propulsion AIT Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-ait-engineer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-s3t33mm6q6jv) — Bordeaux, France
- [Senior Avionics System Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-avionics-system-engineer-the-exploration-company-munich-wqc8hjq32xhq) — Munich, Germany