Senior Mission Operations Engineer

About the role

Astroscale UK is seeking an experienced Senior Mission Operations Engineer to join its Harwell team. You will play a pivotal role across all phases of current and future missions such as ELSA‑M and COSMIC, bridging the gap between traditional spacecraft operations, analysis, and systems engineering.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the technical lead for mission operations and related projects.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior team members.
• Execute routine and critical real‑time spacecraft operations.
• Identify, define, and develop operational tools to improve safety and efficiency.
• Rotate through roles such as Mission Manager, Spacecraft Operations Engineer, Mission Planner, and Spacecraft Controller during all mission phases.
• Develop and support operations functions, including planning, scheduling, and mission‑control facility improvements.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in both operations preparation and mission execution for space missions.
• Proven ability to contribute to feasibility studies, SSA projects, and end‑of‑life operations.
• Strong initiative, innovation mindset, and capability to turn concepts into implemented solutions.
• Familiarity with industry standards, best practices, and requirements engineering.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with proactive time‑management.

Required skills

• Spacecraft Operations
• Mission Planning
• Space Situational Awareness (SSA)
• Requirements Engineering
• Operations Tool Development

What we offer

• Hybrid office‑home working pattern with occasional extended on‑site periods.
• Opportunity to influence novel operations concepts within a focused, small team.
• Exposure to a diverse portfolio of space missions from concept to end‑of‑life.