RPO Navigation Engineer (Visual Navigation & Sensors)

Overview

We are looking for an RPO Navigation Engineer to design and implement visual navigation systems for an on-orbit refueling spacecraft. This role is responsible for developing vision-based navigation software and owning the camera and radar sensor hardware that enable safe and precise rendezvous and proximity operations. The engineer will work in close partnership with a GNC and operations software lead to define the end-to-end navigation and guidance architecture from sensors to flight software.

Key Responsibilities

• Visual Navigation Software
  • Develop and maintain vision-based navigation algorithms for RPO, including relative pose estimation, target tracking, and state estimation
  • Implement and validate navigation software for on-orbit refueling scenarios
  • Integrate camera and radar measurements into the navigation stack
  • Support real-time and flight-qualified software implementations
• Sensor Hardware Ownership
  • Own the camera and radar hardware used for navigation, from selection and specification through integration, testing, and operations
  • Define sensor performance requirements (resolution, frame rate, FoV, latency, noise, etc.)
  • Lead sensor calibration, alignment, and synchronization efforts
  • Support hardware-in-the-loop and system-level testing
• Architecture & Systems Design
  • Co-define the navigation, GNC, and operations software architecture in collaboration with the GNC/ops software engineer
  • Define interfaces between sensors, navigation software, guidance algorithms, and flight software
  • Participate in system trade studies related to sensor selection, navigation approaches, and autonomy levels
• Testing & Validation
  • Develop simulation, ground test, and on-orbit validation strategies for RPO navigation
  • Support closed-loop testing with simulated and real sensor data
  • Analyze test and flight data to improve navigation performance and robustness
  • Contribute to fault detection, degradation handling, and safe-mode concepts
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with GNC, flight software, mission operations, and systems engineering teams
  • Support mission planning and operational concept development for rendezvous and refueling
  • Contribute to design reviews, technical documentation, and flight readiness activities

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Computer Vision, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Strong experience developing navigation or perception algorithms (e.g., visual odometry, pose estimation, sensor fusion)
• Experience working with camera-based systems and/or radar sensors
• Proficiency in C++, Python, or similar languages used for robotics and flight software
• Solid understanding of orbital mechanics and RPO concepts

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in mechatronics, robotics, or computer vision
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing and simulation environments
• Familiarity with flight software frameworks or real-time systems

Key Skills

• Visual navigation and perception
• Sensor fusion and state estimation
• Spacecraft RPO dynamics
• System architecture definition
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Note: this role is a fixed term contract with intent for a permanent contract after 12 months.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose. Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We focus on three areas of space transportation:

• In-space propulsion: We are a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
• In-space servicing: Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers\' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensure a clean and safe space for everyone!
• Space launch: Our Mk-II Aurora spaceplane demonstrator has completed over 60 successful flights and we recently completed campaigns utilising our in-house rocket engine. Mk-II is unique in that it combines the performance of a rocket and the rapid reusability and economic model of an aircraft.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.

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Important!

If you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

To all recruitment agencies: Dawn Aerospace does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, our employees, or any other company location. Dawn Aerospace will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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