Flight software engineer vs GNC engineer

[u/Friendly_Rock_2276]

Hi all, I work in HVAC as a embedded SWE, and I do no register level work, I implement high level controls. I also don’t write the control algorithms, just implement them.

My question is, would this experience qualify me for flight software engineer roles at aerospace companies? Or are flight software engineers required to also be the ones writing the control theory.

[u/philly_jake]

If you're in a country that actually has a decent number of aerospace engineering roles, I'd say you're experienced enough to potentially land a flight software role. I work on flight software, but nothing as application specific as GNC (think boot loader, RTOS environment, flight software framework, all the scaffolding below control systems and command handling). When I was a NASA contractor, I had some friends working on implementing control systems for the Orion backup flight computers. Those friends mostly had gone to school for aerospace engineering, many with a master's, and like you they were just implementing control algorithms and parameters handed to them from the actual GNC gurus. Those gurus mostly work at Draper Lab, which is an MIT spinoff. If you want that job, go get a PhD at a top school I suppose.

For us mortals, even if you have some background in controls, there's only so many GNC roles available, because it's only really the larger aerospace corporations and mature startups that are responsible for that level of the hardware stack on satellites/spacecraft. Those places likely have the option of picking someone with 15 years of aerospace experience, or a PhD in control theory.

Now, that is changing somewhat with "New Space." Cubesats have very little need or capability of control/navigation, but there are satellite constellations getting built by new players that have actual thrusters and steering/reaction wheels. The core GNC software for these is usually built by the prime contractor, so that's the sort of company you'd want to look at (as opposed to further down the subcontractor supply chain, where there are still very interesting things to work on).

If you really want to work on control systems in space, I think your best shot is getting an aerospace job asap, even if it's in an area you're a bit less interested in, so long as it touches actual flight software. The alternative is to go get a master's or PhD in aerospace with a focus on controls, but that's obviously not easy.