---
title: 'Principal Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer at Quantum Space'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-spacecraft-guidance-navigation-control-engineer-quantum-space-qa1t3bxv3k77'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Principal Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer at Quantum Space

- **Company:** Quantum Space
- **Location:** Rockville MD OR Hawthorne, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-07-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/quantumspacellc/jobs/4339548009

## Job description

Who We're Looking For

Quantum Space is redefining mobility and maneuverability in space. Our high-mobility spacecraft platforms support national security, civil, and commercial missions with unmatched flexibility and propulsion capability. We build fast and iterate quickly.

We are seeking a Principal Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer to serve as the technical authority for the GNC subsystem across multiple spacecraft programs, leading architecture, design, procurement, integration, and verification.

Where You'll Make an Impact

- Own the end-to-end GNC/ACS architecture from concept development through flight operations.
- Own GNC subsystem level requirements.
- Lead spacecraft attitude and control system design, including actuator sizing, sensor selection, control authority, and momentum management strategy.
- Define and implement control laws for high-ΔV maneuvering, precision pointing, station-keeping, and proximity operations.
- Architect state estimation frameworks (EKF/UKF, sensor fusion pipelines, covariance management) for robust on-orbit performance.
- Develop and maintain high-fidelity 6DOF spacecraft simulation environments for analysis, trade studies, verification, and anomaly resolution.
- Establish GNC verification and validation strategy across analysis, SIL/HIL, hardware integration, and flight test.
- Support propulsion-coupled dynamics modeling, including thrust misalignment, slosh effects, and flexible-body considerations as needed.
- Lead GNC participation in system-level reviews (MCR, SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and serve as the primary technical voice for the discipline.
- Analyze flight telemetry and test data to assess performance, diagnose anomalies, and drive configuration or algorithm updates.
- Define safe-mode, fault management, and degraded control strategies in partnership with FSW and systems engineering.
- Mentor and manage GNC engineers, establishing best practices, code standards, simulation frameworks, and technical rigor across the team.
- Support early-orbit operations and critical mission phases as required.

What It Takes

- B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or related field.
- 15+ years of experience in spacecraft GNC/ACS development, including full lifecycle flight programs.
- Demonstrated ownership of a spacecraft attitude and/or orbit control system through design, integration, and flight.
- Deep expertise in rigid-body dynamics, orbital mechanics, estimation theory, and modern control methods.
- Strong experience with thruster-based ACS architectures and propulsion-coupled control systems.
- Proven ability to independently architect GNC systems and make system-level trade decisions.
- Experience implementing flight algorithms in C++, Python, or MATLAB/Simulink, with awareness of real-time constraints.
- Experience integrating GNC with flight software and avionics, including SIL/HIL validation.
- Ability to analyze telemetry and diagnose complex on-orbit or integrated system anomalies.
- Systems-level thinking across propulsion, avionics, software, and mission design.
- Demonstrated technical leadership and mentorship experience.
- Comfort operating in a fast-paced, hardware-integrated environment with evolving mission needs.

Nice-to-Have Experience

- Experience with high-ΔV vehicles, cislunar missions, GEO servicing, or RPO missions.
- Experience designing control systems for agile or propulsive maneuvering spacecraft.
- Background in autonomous maneuver planning or onboard decision-making systems.
- Experience with flexible-body dynamics, propellant slosh modeling, or structural-control interaction.
- Familiarity with MAX FSW and MAX GDS or other modern COTS flight software frameworks.
- Experience with multi-agent relative navigation or machine learning for estimation, perception, or task planning.
- Experience leading small technical teams in startup or NewSpace environments.
- Prior support of on-orbit commissioning or anomaly resolution efforts.

## What You'll Get

- Ownership – Build and validate the GNC capability that defines how our spacecraft maneuver, point, and operate autonomously.
- Innovation – Shape next-generation GNC architectures, algorithms, and tools for high-agility missions.
- Impact – Directly influence spacecraft controllability, autonomy, and mission success across cislunar and GEO operations.
- Growth – Collaborate across avionics, FSW, systems, and mission ops, with opportunities to expand into dynamics modeling, autonomy, or flight operations.
- Compensation – Competitive salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, generous leave, HSA, 401(k) matching, and equity participation.

Location: Rockville, MD or Hawthorne, CA

Base Salary: $175,000 - $225,000

The salary range for this role is determined based on a variety of factors including work experience, education, technical expertise, certifications, critical skills, and business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full-time offers and are considered part of Quantum Space's total compensation package.

Additional Requirements

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including ITAR, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual under 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Apply now. Join us in building the next generation of spacecraft.

## About Quantum Space

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Quantum Space is building the next generation of advanced, maneuverable spacecraft (the Ranger platform) to disrupt the orbital economy by reducing the cost of operating across every orbit the nation needs to hold, from LEO through GEO and out to cislunar space.
- **Entity Type**: Private (going public via merger with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VI; anticipated ticker QSPC)
- **Headquarters**: Rockville, Maryland, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Dr. Kam Ghaffarian (Executive Chairman & Co-founder), Ben Reed (Chief Technology Officer), Adarsh Parekh (President & Co-founder), Kerry Wisnosky (Co-founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Defense and Space Manufacturing, National Security Space, Cislunar Infrastructure
- **Target customers**: Primarily Government (U.S. national security space agencies, Space Force, NASA, DARPA)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To enable the freedom to maneuver in space for the United States, providing a maneuver-first architecture engineered for multi-orbit operations at scale.

## Products & Services
- **Ranger Spacecraft Platform**: A highly maneuverable orbital transfer and servicing platform. Key specs include up to 4,000+ kg of storable hydrazine, multi-mode propulsion, a 15-year operational life, on-orbit refueling capability, and a modular payload architecture. It is designed to reach GEO and beyond at up to 70% lower cost than conventional architectures.
- **Space Domain Awareness**: Providing ubiquitous awareness of activities on orbit, delivering actionable intelligence.
- **Payload Hosting & Data Services**: A standardized platform capable of being configured for any mission at any orbit, hosting government and commercial payloads.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed for the private company; the SPAC merger agreement values the combined entity, but specific valuation is not publicly available.
- **Key Metric**: $88M+ in secured government contracts. Total funding of $56.1M across 6 prior funding rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VI (SPAC merger partner); Dr. Kam Ghaffarian (also founded Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR), X-energy (NASDAQ: XE), Axiom Space); Jim Bridenstine (CEO, former NASA Administrator).
- **Growth Signals**: Aggressive hiring with 31 active job postings and +158.3% monthly job posting growth; acquired Phase Four's multi-mode propulsion assets in September 2025; constructing a manufacturing facility at Tulsa International Airport; awarded a DARPA LASSO contract; going public via SPAC merger.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Massive Fuel Capacity & Maneuverability**: 4,000+ kg of storable fuel is significantly more than current spacecraft, and the multi-mode propulsion allows for speed, efficiency, and flexibility across all orbits.
- **Refuelable & Modular Architecture**: Designed for on-orbit refueling and a modular payload system, enabling long-duration missions (15 years) and rapid reconfiguration.
- **Deep IP Moat**: 17 issued and pending patents protecting the core technology.
- **Cost Disruption**: Claims up to 70% cost reduction for operations beyond LEO and up to 10x+ launch cost savings compared to conventional architectures.
- **National Security Focus**: Deeply embedded with U.S. Space Command and national security priorities, with leadership that includes former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and a 40-year Missile Defense Agency veteran.

## Strategic Focus
- **Golden Dome / National Security**: The company's Ranger spacecraft is positioned as a key platform for the proposed "Golden Dome" national security space architecture.
- **SPAC Merger & Public Listing**: Completing the merger with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VI to go public under the ticker QSPC.
- **Manufacturing Expansion**: Building out manufacturing capacity in Tulsa, OK, and Huntsville, AL, to scale production of the Ranger platform.
- **Cislunar Operations**: Developing capabilities for operations in cislunar space, including winning the DARPA LASSO contract.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven**: The company is focused on a critical national security mission, offering employees a chance to work on technology that directly impacts U.S. space superiority.
- **High Growth Trajectory**: Rapidly scaling from a startup to a public company, with aggressive hiring, new facility construction, and major government contracts.
- **Flexible Work Environment**: The company emphasizes work-life balance and offers flexible working arrangements. Roles are available across multiple locations (Rockville, MD; Huntsville, AL; Hawthorne, CA; Tulsa, OK).
- **Competitive Compensation**: Offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, generous leave (including parental leave), FSA, 401(k) matching, and equity sharing.
- **Tight-Knit Team**: Described as a fast-paced, tight-knit team of engineers and scientists, offering exposure to the full lifecycle of mission development, launch, and operations.

## Sources
1. [quantumspace.us](https://www.quantumspace.us/)
2. [quantumspace.us/about](https://www.quantumspace.us/about)
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quantumspace-us)
4. [investors.quantumspace.us](https://investors.quantumspace.us/)
5. [Greenhouse Careers Page](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/quantumspacellc/jobs/4193183009)

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