Satcom Mission Analysis Engineer

Open Cosmos

Satcom Mission Analysis Engineer optimizing satellite constellation performance at Open Cosmos. Responsible for defining orbital architecture and ensuring high-performance connectivity across the network lifecycle.

Posted 6/14/2026full-timeHarwell • 🇬🇧 United KingdomMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Defining, optimising, and maintaining the precise orbital architecture of the constellation over its lifespan
Running continuous topology analysis, ensuring that the physical distribution of satellites mathematically supports the network capacity requirements defined by the System Architecture team
Modelling the integration of future constellation phases, calculating how adding new orbital shells will interact with the existing mesh
Calculating the exact pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) slew rates required to maintain line-of-sight for optical Inter-Satellite Links (ISLs), especially during cross-plane orbital intersections
Analyzing astrodynamic perturbations, like atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure and their direct impact on laser pointing accuracy and optical link stability
Calculating and delivering highly accurate slant range and Doppler shift profiles to the RF and Waveform engineering teams for physical layer optimization
Calculating revisit times, elevation angles, and line-of-sight durations to guarantee SLA-backed coverage for User Terminals (UTs)
Modelling complex operational environments, including terrain masking, maritime use cases, and high-latitude regions, ensuring zero packet drops during critical satellite-to-satellite handovers
Working closely with the Network Routing team to simulate how the physical orbital geometry dictates latency and jitter for our clients
Designing the physical maneuver strategies required to maintain the constellation's precise geometry, sizing strict Delta-V budgets for initial orbit insertion, station-keeping, and end-of-life de-orbiting
Developing the operational concepts for automated Collision Avoidance (COLA) and Space Situational Awareness (SSA), ensuring thruster burns are planned so they do not disrupt active routing paths
Ensuring all orbital lifecycle and de-orbiting strategies strictly comply with international space debris mitigation guidelines and ITU regulatory milestones
Building and maintaining the core astrodynamics simulation environments using tools
Developing custom code directly into the software team's routing simulators and our broader Digital Twin

Requirements

What you’ll need

Strong understanding of orbital mechanics, including constellation design, phasing strategies, and orbital perturbations
Capability to model and analyse satellite constellations, including topology evolution and multi-orbit integration
Proficiency in mission analysis and simulation tools using Orekit and STK and ability to develop custom models or automation scripts
Understanding of inter-satellite link dynamics, including line-of-sight constraints, pointing, acquisition, and tracking considerations
Knowledge of how orbital parameters, like slant range, elevation angle, Doppler shift, translate into telecommunications performance metrics such as latency, coverage, and link stability
Familiarity with coverage analysis, including revisit times, visibility windows, and service continuity across diverse environments
Understanding of manoeuvre planning, including Delta-V budgeting, station-keeping, and end-of-life strategies
Knowledge of collision avoidance principles and space situational awareness considerations
Awareness of regulatory frameworks related to orbital operations, spectrum allocation, and space debris mitigation
Capability to integrate astrodynamics models into broader system simulations or digital twin environments
A highly analytical and systems-level approach to problem-solving, connecting physical models with real-world operational and network performance outcomes

Benefits

Comp & perks

Work at the cutting edge of space technology with customers around the globe
Diverse, ambitious, and supportive team
Equal opportunity employer
Fostering a workplace built on respect, dignity, and belonging

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Hard Skills & Tools

orbital mechanicsconstellation designphasing strategiesorbital perturbationsmission analysissimulation toolsinter-satellite link dynamicsmanoeuvre planningcollision avoidancespace situational awareness

Soft Skills

analytical approachsystems-level problem-solving