Mission Operations Responsible Engineer/Scientist

5+ years of experience in planetary missions, with demonstrated progression into increasing ownership

Experience with scripting (e.g., Python) for data analysis or operational tasks

Proficiency working in Linux/Unix environments

Ability to reason through cross-subsystem interactions and their operational implications, make decisions with incomplete information and under time pressure

Experience with deep-space mission operations, including surface or orbital science campaigns

Experience designing onboard autonomy, automated scheduling systems, or ground-based automation frameworks for flight operations

$164,000

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$225,500 USD

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at

accommodations@relativityspace.com

We are seeking an operations responsible engineer to lead the planning, design, and execution of spacecraft operations for the Interplanetary Program's first mission.

This role carries end-to-end ownership of how the spacecraft is operated — from defining the operations architecture and working directly with multiple science and instrument teams to executing operations that maximize science data collection within real-world spacecraft constraints.

Automating spacecraft operations to increase spacecraft capability and efficiency is also a key goal.

This is a senior, highly technical, high-ownership role on a lean team in a fast-moving commercial environment.

The Interplanetary Sciences Program was established to expand access to scientific exploration across our solar system. Its mission is to make planetary research faster, more affordable, and more capable than ever before by rethinking how science missions are designed, built, and operated. The program aims to enable scientists to send instruments to distant worlds without decades of development or prohibitive costs. By creating a sustainable model for interplanetary exploration, we are transforming space science from an occasional event into a continuous process of discovery that accelerates knowledge, broadens participation, and inspires the next generation of explorers.