Space systems architect for U.S. national security and commercial space programs
The Aerospace Corporation designs and assures mission-critical space systems for the U.S. government, with 4,600+ employees distributed across engineering, research, and security. The tech stack is heavily skewed toward infrastructure and orchestration (Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Puppet, PowerShell DSC) and legacy systems integration (Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP), which aligns with their stated pain around transitioning legacy capabilities to digital engineering and supporting government customer digital transformation. Active hiring is concentrated in senior engineering roles, reflecting both the complexity of space systems work and the organizational challenge of modernizing aging architectures.
Notable leadership hires: Thermal Protection Lead, Fire Control Lead, Director, Construction Project Lead, System Architecture Lead
The Aerospace Corporation is a nonprofit mission-support organization providing technical expertise and systems engineering for U.S. space programs, from launch vehicles and spacecraft to autonomous systems and space domain awareness. The company serves as a trusted advisor on national security space capabilities while also supporting emerging commercial space and exploration initiatives. With headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia, Aerospace operates across the United States, Peru, and the United Kingdom. Their project portfolio spans trajectory design, rendezvous operations, hypersonics, human spaceflight systems, and rapid acquisition support for government space offices. Internal challenges center on systems integration complexity, legacy architecture modernization, and cyber-physical defense.
Python, Rust, Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Puppet, PowerShell, Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, and multiple Linux distributions (RHEL, CentOS, Rocky, AlmaLinux). Heavy emphasis on infrastructure orchestration and legacy enterprise systems.
Trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles, rendezvous operations, hypersonics, space domain awareness and target tracking, EVA/human surface mobility, and concepts of operations for space systems. Also supporting rapid acquisition and digital engineering transition for government customers.
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