Flight Dynamics and Mission Analysis Engineer
TYPE — FULL TIMELOCATION — Vijayawada, INDIAExperience: 3+ YearsCTC: ₹6–10 LPA
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Flight Dynamics & Mission Analysis Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, analysing, and optimizing the flight characteristics and mission performance of AnduraX's reusable re-entry vehicle across atmospheric, suborbital, and future orbital missions. You will develop flight dynamic models, trajectory analyses, mission architectures, vehicle performance assessments, and operational concepts that drive vehicle design and mission execution. Working closely with Systems Engineering, GNC, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Structures, Flight Software, Avionics, and Test teams, you will translate mission objectives into engineering requirements while ensuring optimal vehicle performance, operational efficiency, and mission success. You will play a central role in determining how the vehicle flies, performs, and safely returns to Earth. This role demands strong expertise in flight mechanics, astrodynamics, trajectory optimization, numerical simulation, and multidisciplinary systems analysis. You will directly contribute to the development of India's first privately developed reusable re-entry vehicle. This role combines office-based engineering with simulation, mission planning, laboratory, integration, and flight-test activities. Candidates should be comfortable transitioning between analytical work, software modelling, mission operations, and outdoor flight campaigns.
RESPONSIBILITY
Flight Dynamics & Vehicle Performance
- Develop high-fidelity 3-DOF and 6-DOF flight dynamic models.
- Analyse vehicle performance throughout ascent, coast, atmospheric flight, re-entry, glide, descent, and landing.
- Evaluate vehicle stability and performance across all mission phases.
- Develop vehicle performance envelopes and operational limits.
- Analyse aerodynamic, propulsion, and mass property sensitivities.
- Support vehicle sizing and multidisciplinary design optimization.
- Develop flight mechanics models for system simulations.
- Perform trade studies for alternate vehicle configurations and mission architectures.
Mission Design & Analysis
- Design atmospheric, suborbital, and future orbital mission profiles.
- Develop complete mission timelines and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS).
- Perform mission feasibility studies for customer payloads and demonstration missions.
- Define launch windows, recovery corridors, and landing zones.
- Develop mission constraints based on vehicle capabilities and operational requirements.
- Optimize mission performance for payload capacity, endurance, turnaround time, and operational efficiency.
- Support mission planning for technology demonstrations and future commercial missions.
Trajectory & Performance Analysis
- Design ascent, coast, re-entry, descent, and landing trajectories.
- Perform orbital insertion, de-orbit, and orbital maneuver analyses.
- Conduct ΔV budgeting and mission performance assessments.
- Evaluate payload capability across different mission scenarios.
- Perform Monte Carlo trajectory dispersion analyses.
- Analyse mission margins and environmental sensitivities.
- Support precision landing and recovery analysis.
- Develop trajectory databases for GNC and flight simulation teams.
Simulation & Modelling
- Develop and maintain high-fidelity mission simulation environments.
- Model atmospheric, orbital, environmental, and operational conditions.
- Integrate aerodynamic, propulsion, GNC, mass property, and vehicle performance models.
- Develop analytical tools for mission design and optimization.
- Support Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) validation.
- Validate analytical models using simulation and flight-test data.
- Automate mission analysis workflows where applicable.
Flight Operations Support
- Support mission planning and flight readiness reviews.
- Develop mission procedures and operational documentation.
- Participate in vehicle integration and flight-test campaigns.
- Monitor mission execution and analyse flight performance.
- Perform post-flight trajectory reconstruction and mission analysis.
- Recommend design and operational improvements based on flight-test results.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Work closely with Systems Engineering, GNC, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Structures, Flight Software, Avionics, and Test teams.
- Support vehicle architecture and multidisciplinary design trade studies.
- Assist Business Development in evaluating customer mission feasibility and proposal development.
- Mentor junior engineers and interns.
- Support engineering recruitment and technical interviews.
- Contribute to technical reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR, and mission readiness reviews.
REQUIREMENTS
Education & Experience
- B.Tech/M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related disciplines.
- 3–5+ years of experience in flight dynamics, mission analysis, astrodynamics, trajectory design, or aerospace vehicle performance analysis.
Technical Competencies
- Strong understanding of:
- Flight Dynamics
- Flight Mechanics
- Astrodynamics
- Orbital Mechanics
- Atmospheric Flight
- Re-entry Dynamics
- Trajectory Optimization
- Vehicle Performance Analysis
- Mission Design
- Numerical Methods
- Coordinate Systems & Reference Frames
- Experience developing trajectory simulations and mission performance models.
- Experience performing multidisciplinary design trade studies.
- Experience supporting aerospace vehicle development programs.
- Strong analytical thinking, mathematical modelling, and structured problem-solving skills.
- Excellent technical communication and documentation abilities.
PREFERRED SKILLS
Experience With
- Experience with:
- Re-entry vehicle mission design
- Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL)
- Launch vehicle performance analysis
- Orbital mission planning
- Precision landing analysis
- Flight-test trajectory reconstruction
- Mission optimization
- Monte Carlo analysis
- Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO)
- Space mission operations
Proficiency In
- Proficiency in:
- MATLAB/Simulink
- Python (NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib)
- STK (Systems Tool Kit)
- GMAT
- Orekit
- FreeFlyer
- Basilisk
- Tudat
- Excel
Familiarity With
- Familiarity with:
- GNC algorithms
- Aerodynamic modelling
- Propulsion performance analysis
- Atmospheric and environmental modelling
- Flight simulation
- Software-in-the-Loop (SIL)
- Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)
- NASA SPICE Toolkit
- NASA, ESA, ECSS, or ISRO standards
- Prior experience with Indian or international aerospace programs (ISRO, DRDO, private space tech firms, startups) will be considered an added advantage.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Additional Requirements
- Ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment where responsibilities evolve with program needs.
- Comfortable working across multiple engineering disciplines and contributing beyond a narrowly defined role.
- Willingness to travel for flight tests, supplier visits, customer meetings, government reviews, conferences, and technical demonstrations as required.
- Ability to work outdoors during integration campaigns, launch operations, and recovery activities under varying weather conditions.
- Comfortable standing, walking, bending, and working for extended periods during hardware integration and testing activities.
- Ability to safely lift and carry engineering equipment and hardware weighing up to 20 kg, with appropriate assistance when required.
- Willingness to occasionally work outside regular business hours during integration campaigns, flight tests, critical milestones, or mission operations.
- Strong commitment to documentation, configuration control, schedule discipline, and maintaining high-quality program records.
- Ability to obtain and maintain any security clearances or background verifications required for defence, strategic, or government-sponsored projects (subject to applicable regulations).
- Demonstrate a strong safety-first mindset and adherence to laboratory, workshop, propulsion, and flight-test safety procedures.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Self-driven, proactive, and capable of independently driving complex technical programs from concept through demonstration.
- Close attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Passion for aerospace, space exploration, reusable launch systems, and advanced flight technologies, with a willingness to continuously learn and adapt to new challenges.
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