Mission Operations Engineer

Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines

Operations

Houston, TX, USA

Posted on Apr 15, 2026

Mission Operations Engineer

Houston, TX

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is an innovative and cutting-edge space company making cislunar space accessible to both public and private customers. Our mission is to further science and exploration, communications, and economic progress from the Earth to the Moon and beyond. With the first commercial lunar landing in history, multiple NASA lunar missions in development, and additional private missions on our manifest, we pride ourselves in supporting our customers and the nation in paving the way to return humans to the surface of the Moon. Our world-class team includes experts in all aspects of spacecraft subsystems design, development, and test, on-orbit operations, and safety.

About the Position

We are seeking an engineer to provide cross functional support between our mission operations, ground stations, flight control, and communications/networking groups to aid real time operations for our upcoming IM3, IM4, and future missions. Ideal candidates will have previous experience in Mission Operations, Real-Time Flight Operations, Systems Engineering, Network Communications, RF Communications, or related disciplines.

Responsibilities

  • Become an expert on the LDN relay satellite(s)
  • Lead the Bus Manager console during real-time satellite operations
  • Monitor spacecraft bus telemetry, trends, and limits to ensure vehicle health and mission success
  • Coordinate closely with payload, power, thermal, avionics, and ground systems groups
  • Train and mentor other Bus Manager Console team members
  • Assist in anomaly response and resolution
  • Lead and maintain operations product development for satellite and the operations knowledge base for satellite systems at IM
  • Participate in simulations and other training events
  • Provide matrixed support across IM programs as needed

Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering and at a minimum 5-10 years of experience in spacecraft systems (satellites, human rated vehicles, etc.)
  • Strong working knowledge of spacecraft bus subsystems (power, thermal, avionics, etc.)
  • Ability to make technical decisions in potentially time-critical conditions
  • Strong leadership and communication skills
  • Excellent situational awareness and systems thinking
  • Ability to mentor and lead other console operators
  • Experience with documentation and collaboration tools such as Confluence, Jira, MS Office (MS PowerPoint, MS Word, MS Excel)
  • This role requires in-office presence in Houston, Texas

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Knowledge of or exposure in one of the following technical disciplines is highly desired:
  • Real-time shift operations of technical systems such as satellite operations or equivalent
  • Familiarity with fault management systems, FDIR, and spacecraft autonomy
  • Familiarity with automation/artificial intelligence

EEO Statement

Intuitive Machines is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.