LEO Flight Dynamics Analyst

As a member of the LEO SOC Development team, the LEO Flight Dynamics Analyst will support the development and use of the Flight Dynamics System (FDS) to operate the Lightspeed satellites. The FD Analyst executes established operational workflows for orbit determination, maneuver planning, and SSA monitoring, while gaining hands-on experience with flight dynamics tools and mission operations while learning operational best practices. The FD analyst assists in system development, updates, and maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Performs routine orbit prediction and monitoring;
• Performs basic conjunction assessment and risk reporting;
• Assists with maneuver planning and post-maneuver validation;
• Supports procedure development and basic documentation;
• Learns and uses existing FDS tools and scripts without heavy modification;
• Participates in the Validation and Verification of FDS systems;
• Supports orbit management CONOPS for early Lightspeed mission phases and on-station orbit management;
• Support on-station satellite maneuver strategy to meet station-keeping requirements; maintaining LEO orbit planes and individual satellite tracking strategies, while minimizing propellant usage;
• Supports optimization of FDS systems; monitoring and maintaining orbit determination and maneuver reconstruction processes;
• Monitor satellite FD product uploads for execution and monitoring; following orbit maintenance procedures for use by the SOC;
• Participate in automation development of FDS scripts for maneuvers, momentum dumping and propellant guaging;
• Participate in LEOP/IOT/EOR campaigns; planning EOR strategies, performing orbit determination and generating tracking predicts for internal and external Lightspeed segments as necessary;
• Prepare and present reports and presentations for Telesat Lightspeed technical management.

Education and Experience

• Masters or Bachelor degree in Applied Mathematics, Physics, Aerospace Engineering or Computer Science or the equivalent;
• A background in statistics, calculus, classical mechanics, celestial mechanics and computer programming is required;
• Minimum 3-6 years of relevant work experience directly or commensurate to space orbital dynamics;
• Experience in performing satellite station-keeping planning;
• Experience in developing software and with a variety of platforms and programming tools using modern scripting languages, however, operational procedure scripting languages will also be used so the ability to learn new tools is critical;
• Experience with Linux systems administration Python programming and configuration management is an asset;
• Experience with Machine Learning and Data Analytics is a valued asset;
• Strong technical, presentation, interpersonal, written and communication skills;
• Independent and self-motivated, with the ability to work effectively in a team environment;
• Work requires considerable attention to detail;
• Knowledge of containerized software platforms is an asset.

Decision Making and Supervision

• Works under close guidance from Senior Analysts;
• Limited decision-making authority, primarily following approved procedures