GNC Intern (Spring 2027)

About the role

Golden, CO | Full-Time | 12-15 Weeks | Spring 2027

Today, everything we send to space is constrained by what fits inside a rocket fairing. That's a fundamental bottleneck to building more capable spacecraft. Rendezvous Robotics is solving this problem with electromagnetic self-assembling tiles: modular spacecraft components that rendezvous, dock, and latch to assemble bigger and more powerful spacecraft than anything that can be folded to fit into a rocket.

We're a small team based in Golden, Colorado, executing on a clear path from flight demonstration to our first operational systems. Our work spans hardware, software, and systems engineering. We are looking for the best people in the world who want to build the next generation of advanced spacecraft.

As a GNC Intern, you will work on the dynamics and control of a reconfigurable spacecraft assembled from electromagnetically docked tiles. The physics cannot be borrowed wholesale from traditional spacecraft attitude control: docking dynamics are highly nonlinear, and the assembled vehicle's inertia and center of mass change as tiles dock and reconfigure. You will contribute to physics models, control and estimation algorithms, and the simulations that verify them - working alongside the GNC team and seeing your work run against hardware testbeds and eventually on-orbit

Responsibilities

• Develop physics models of electromagnetic docking dynamics
• Support development of control algorithms for rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking
• Work on attitude determination and control for individual tiles and the assembled spacecraft
• Support trade studies and evaluation of the tile sensor suite
• Build simulation tools and dashboards to verify GNC algorithms before hardware testing

Basic Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, or other relevant engineering discipline, with coursework in dynamics and controls
• Working knowledge of Python, C++, or MATLAB/Simulink for simulation and analysis
• Understanding of rigid-body dynamics and basic electromagnetics

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control, including at the coursework or CubeSat-team level
• Background in electromagnetic systems
• Familiarity with orbital mechanics and reference frames
• Experience with formation flying, swarm robotics, or multi-body reconfigurable systems
• Familiarity with version control systems like Git
• Passionate about solving hard problems, building things, and advancing the space industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.