GNC Engineering Intern
About the role
GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Controls) Engineering Intern role at Dispatch, an in-space manufacturing startup building reentry vehicles. Interns work on GNC analysis, simulations, and flight software for Spark-1, collaborating across flight software, avionics, and vehicle systems. In-person internship in San Francisco for Spring 2027 or Summer 2027.
Responsibilities
- Own or contribute to GNC and astrodynamics analysis, algorithms, and simulations for Spark-1
- Develop and test spacecraft GNC software, sensors, and actuators in simulation, software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop environments
- Build flight dynamics and mission analysis tools for orbit propagation, navigation, maneuver planning, targeting, scheduling, and mission operations
- Design and implement algorithms for spacecraft attitude determination and control, orbit determination, autonomous maneuver execution, collision avoidance, and deorbit targeting
- Perform trajectory design, optimization, Monte Carlo, and dispersion analysis for on-orbit operations, deorbit, and atmospheric reentry
Qualifications
- Currently pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, applied mathematics, or a related technical field
- Experience in GNC, astrodynamics, spacecraft dynamics, orbital mechanics, controls, navigation, or flight simulation through coursework, research, internships, or project teams
- Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, C/C++, Rust, or similar programming languages
- Comfortable applying first-principles engineering analysis and turning that work into simulation or software
Skills
Benefits
- In-person internship in San Francisco
- Opportunity to work directly on problems affecting upcoming missions
- Hands-on collaboration across flight software, avionics, and vehicle systems
About Dispatch
Satellites for manufacturing in space
Dispatch is building refurbishable reentry vehicles that host and return payloads for companies making ultra-high-value materials (semiconductors, biotech, and pharma) that can only be manufactured in space. Right now, these companies have no practical way to manufacture and get their products back to Earth. We solve this bottleneck. We just returned from the Mojave Desert testing our first full-scale reentry heat shield designed to protect the satellite as it returns from space at Mach 20+, built in an apartment for 100x cheaper than competitors. To test, we held it behind a rocket engine to simulate the forces of atmospheric reentry. IT WORKED! Watch here - https://youtu.be/dhlQmnIoptg To scale, we anchor permanent infrastructure in orbit - building high power Autonomous Space Stations designed from day one for "lights-out" manufacturing serviced by the reentry vehicles.
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