Guidance, Navigation & Controls (GNC) Internship - Spring 2027

<div class="content-intro"><h2><span data-contrast="none">About Varda</span></h2> <p>Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. <strong>Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.</strong></p> <p>From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.  </p> <p>Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.  </p> <p>Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. </p> <p>Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.</p></div><h2><span data-contrast="none">About This Role</span> </h2> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">Spring internships will range between the months of January and May.</span></strong><strong><span data-contrast="none"> All dates </span></strong><strong><span data-contrast="none">dependent upon the university schedule of the selected students. Internships are full-time and on-site in Los Angeles, CA. To be considered for this internship, candidates must be actively enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program. </span></strong></p> <p>The GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Controls) team is responsible for the design, analysis, simulation, and operational performance of Varda’s reentry vehicles. In this internship, you'll help enable end-to-end GNC performance for our flight vehicles—supporting everything from 6DOF simulation and control system modeling to sensor integration and trajectory optimization.</p> <p><span data-contrast="none">Internships at Varda are optimal for students looking to grow technically and professionally while working on impactful projects critical to the company’s success. You will be working on a collaborative team in a startup environment while being able to learn from some of most accomplished and experienced aerospace professionals in the world. We’re dedicated to providing an experience that will let your decisions and contributions help drive Varda’s success.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":40,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p> <h2><span data-contrast="none">Responsibilities</span></h2> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">As part of the GNC team, own or contribute to analysis, algorithms and simulations for reentry vehicles </span></li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559737":0,"335559738":40,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}">Own Integration and testing of GNC sensors, actuators and software in simulation and hardware in the loop environments</span></li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559737":0,"335559738":40,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}">Design and implement mission critical tooling needed to facilitate automated maneuver responsibility and scheduling decisions</span></li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559737":0,"335559738":40,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}">Design and implementation of autonomous satellite attitude control, collision avoidance, orbital rendezvous, burn planning and atmospheric re-entry algorithms</span></li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559737":0,"335559738":40,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}">Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for the reentry of a space capsule</span></li> </ul> <h2>Basic Qualifications</h2> <ul> <li><span data-contrast="none"><span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak">Previous GNC internship </span></span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none"><span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak">Familiar with orbital mechanics, </span></span><span data-contrast="none"><span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak">flight dynamics, trajectory design and optimization, feedback controls, 6DOF flight simulations, navigation solutions, guidance navigation and controls flight algorithms, monte carlo analysis, </span></span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none"><span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak">Familiarity with C++ or python and modern software development principles </span></span></li> </ul> <h2><span data-contrast="none">Preferred Skills And Experience</span> <span data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></h2> <ul> <li data-start="232