Senior AOCS Engineer

Role: Sr. AOCS Engineer
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Bengaluru, India
Educational Qualification: Bachelors / M.Tech / MS / Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Controls or equivalent
Work Experience: 6+ years of relevant work experience (as a GNC or an AOCS engineer)

Role Description:
This role will contribute towards the development of attitude and orbit control subsystems for a LEO imaging satellite constellation. If you love working at the cutting edge of technology and want to contribute towards making the world a better place by bringing down the benefits of space down to earth, this is the place for you.

Responsibilities & Duties:
- Design, model and develop Attitude Determination and Control system for LEO spacecrafts
- Collaborate with systems and mission teams to scope capabilities and requirements for the AOCS system
- Perform trade studies and select the necessary sensor and actuator suites to meet the subsystem requirements
- Design and implement algorithms to support various pointing modes and attitude control scenarios
- Implement control algorithms into modular, scalable and maintainable mathematical models
- Work with the flight software team to deploy the models against the simulation software
- Develop plans for end-to-end integration, test, and calibration
- Develop and maintain technical documentation for spacecraft AOCS architecture definition, design, and development
- Take end-to-end ownership of the subsystem development from design through implementation, testing, deployment, and commissioning

Desirable Skills & Certifications:
- Strong understanding of satellite systems, orbital mechanics, classical dynamics and the low-earth orbit environment
- Strong understanding of spacecraft control and determination hardware and its implementation
- Experience with orbital manoeuvring theory, flexible body control, sensor/navigation filters, and flight software development
- Proficiency and practical experience developing in Matlab & Simulink, and Python
- Strong programming skills in at least one high-level programming language (Python preferred)
- Ability to understand, break down, and solve complex problems independently
- Good communication skills (verbal and written), ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
- Mission design and orbit simulation experience using software tools (STK, FreeFlyer, Orekit, GMAT etc.) or custom software is preferred
- Full lifecycle development experience of LEO spacecraft
- Hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulation experience
- Knowledge of Development tools:
    - Version control (Git)
    - Project Management (Jira)

Candidate Acumen:
A strong desire to work in an unstructured, high-growth, fast-paced start-up environment.

Benefits:
- Health insurance coverage
- Unlimited leaves & flexible working hours
- Role-based remote work and work-from-home benefit
- Relocation assistance
- Professional Mental Wellness services
- Creche facility for primary caregivers (limited to India)
- Employee Stock Options for all hires

About Pixxel:
Pixxel is a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation with hyperspectral imaging. The company’s first constellation of six commercial hyperspectral satellites—Fireflies—deliver imagery at 5-meter resolution and 135+ spectral bands, providing 50x richer detail than traditional Earth observation systems and unlocking insights across agriculture, climate, energy, environment, and more.

Once fully deployed, Pixxel’s constellation of 18-24 satellites will capture imagery across up to 250 bands in VNIR and SWIR ranges, with a 40 km swath and daily global revisit capability. Pixxel’s most unique strength is its full-stack approach, integrating every layer of the value chain from satellite hardware and manufacturing to AI-powered analytics.

Pixxel’s satellite constellation is complemented by Aurora, its in-house Earth Observation Studio that simplifies satellite imagery analysis and democratises remote sensing for all. Designed to make hyperspectral data more accessible, Aurora by Pixxel combines high-frequency imagery with AI-powered tools to generate actionable insights, even for users without technical backgrounds. The third pillar of Pixxel’s ecosystem is its in-house satellite manufacturing capability. Beyond building its own spacecraft, Pixxel also provides satellite systems and subsystems to other organisations. This dual capacity sets it apart in a sector where most companies focus on either payload design or data operations, but not both.

Pixxel’s team is young but deeply mission-aligned, with a culture rooted in curiosity, speed, and long-term thinking. As the company grows its constellation and expands Aurora, the focus remains on making space-based insights practical, scalable, and genuinely helpful so that the health of the planet becomes measurable and action becomes possible.

Pixxel was the only Indian startup selected for the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in Los Angeles and has been recognised in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Via Satellite’s Top Innovators list.

For more information, see our Careers page or follow Pixxel on LinkedIn and X/Twitter.

Culture:
Pixxel is an organisation where we enable our employees to work on world-changing problems that they are passionate about, and a place where they can be their best selves day in and day out while ensuring they have fun every day.

Central to our employee-first ethos is a commitment to ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard. We nurture a healthy and supportive work environment where we prioritise well-being and growth in all aspects of life.

Link to Pixxel in Media