Senior Engineer, Trajectory and Flight Dynamics

Join ElevationSpace Europe as a founding member Driven by our vision to “Building an in-orbit transportation network to connect cargo, crew, and all orbital operations”, ElevationSpace is a startup from Japan pioneering atmospheric re-entry and recovery systems. We deliver commercial space-to-Earth transportation services alongside dual-use hypersonic flight-test platforms. ElevationSpace Europe, located in Luxembourg, is our first international subsidiary and the operational spearhead for the European space and defense markets. Building upon our capsule-based re-entry heritage developed in Japan, this entity serves as our core development center for next-generation, lifting-body dual-use solutions. We are seeking bold, entrepreneurial engineers to join as founding team members—leading technical development and building our European engineering foundation from the ground up.

About the Role
As a Senior Engineer, Trajectory & Flight Dynamics and a founding member of ElevationSpace Europe in Luxembourg, you will be the technical lead architecting and executing the flight dynamics domain for our next-generation lifting-body platforms and dual-use atmospheric entry systems. In this pivotal role, you will take ownership of the flight mechanics roadmap across all mission phases—from orbital departure and hypersonic guided glide to terminal descent and recovery. You will establish high-fidelity 3-DOF/6-DOF simulation frameworks from the ground up, define operational flight envelopes, and conduct critical dispersion and ground safety analyses. Collaborating closely with our Japan-based engineering team, European partners, and interdisciplinary counterparts in aerodynamics, thermal, and structures, you will not only drive cutting-edge trajectory optimization but also play a hands-on role in establishing our European engineering methodologies and organizational foundations.

Key Responsibilities
• Formulate, optimize, and evaluate end-to-end mission trajectories spanning orbital departure, atmospheric entry, guided hypersonic glide, terminal descent, and precision landing/recovery.
• Develop, maintain, and advance high-fidelity 3-DOF and 6-DOF trajectory simulation architectures, incorporating multi-body dynamics, vehicle mass properties, propulsion, and environment models.
• Evaluate the sensitivity of vehicle geometry and aerodynamic properties (e.g., lift-to-drag ratio L/D, ballistic coefficient, surface loading) to establish flight corridors, load envelopes, and aerothermal flight environments.
• Design and assess entry guidance logic (e.g., bank angle modulation, drag-energy management) and maneuver capabilities to maximize cross-range/down-range margins and satisfy thermal, structural, and actuator constraints.
• Conduct comprehensive statistical dispersion analyses (Monte Carlo, covariance analysis) to characterize landing ellipses, assess robustness against environmental/aerodynamic uncertainties, and determine guidance accuracy.
• Perform controlled re-entry trajectory analyses, debris footprint modeling, and casualty expectation assessments in compliance with international range safety and space debris mitigation standards.
• Interface with the Aerodynamics and Thermal & Structures teams to construct integrated simulation models, establish analysis pipelines, and ensure cross-disciplinary consistency.
• Define flight envelope limits, tracking acquisition geometries, and trajectory monitoring parameters for mission operations, supporting real-time operations and post-flight trajectory reconstruction.
• Establish, validate, and automate modern flight dynamics toolchains and verification pipelines adhering to rigorous software engineering and configuration control best practices. Key Requirements
• 3+ years of practical experience in orbital mechanics, flight dynamics, atmospheric entry/EDL (Entry, Descent, and Landing), or trajectory optimization within the space or aerospace sector.
• Deep understanding of 3-DOF/6-DOF equations of motion, atmospheric entry dynamics, hypersonic flight regimes, and numerical optimization techniques.
• Advanced proficiency in Python, C++, or MATLAB/Simulink for scientific computing, dynamic modeling, and toolchain development.
• A hands-on self-starter with a deep sense of ownership, eager to navigate uncertainty, execute swiftly, and tackle bold challenges in a dynamic startup environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to work seamlessly across international, multidisciplinary teams.
• Fluent English communication skills. Preferred Qualification
• Hands-on experience across the full engineering lifecycle (preliminary design to flight operations) of an atmospheric re-entry capsule, lifting body, spaceplane, or reusable launch vehicle (RLV).
• Experience constructing and integrating aerodynamic datasets for trajectory tools using rapid engineering methods (e.g., Modified Newtonian Theory) coupled with high-fidelity CFD solutions.
• Proven experience formulating spacecraft Concept of Operations (ConOps), mission rules, and operational strategies, as well as hands-on real-time flight operations experience.
• Familiarity with advanced or autonomous atmospheric entry guidance algorithms (e.g., numerical predictor-corrector methods, analytical entry guidance).
• Solid understanding of hypersonic aerothermodynamics, flow regime transitions (rarefied to continuum), and aero-thermal heating interfaces for thermal protection system (TPS) sizing.
• Working knowledge of international range safety regulations, airspace integration, and space debris mitigation frameworks (e.g., ESA, FAA AST, JAXA, or ISO standards).
• Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing environments, flight software interfaces, or post-flight trajectory reconstruction using telemetry data.