Space Domain Analyst (Orbital Intelligence & Operations)

About Us SkyServe is sensor agnostic "Insights-as-a-Service" edge computing platform on-board satellites, providing inferences to industries, system integrator, and geospatial developers. Position Overview As Low Earth Orbit (LEO) becomes increasingly congested and contested, satellite operators and defense organizations require predictive, continuous domain intelligence to protect critical space assets. SkyServe is hiring a Space Domain Analyst to serve as the operational and analytical link between our tracking sensor streams, onboard edge-compute intelligence, and external space operators. In this role, you will monitor Resident Space Objects (RSOs), dissect non-cooperative maneuvers, investigate orbital anomalies, evaluate collision probabilities from Conjunction Data Messages (CDMs), and translate multi-source astrodynamic feeds into tactical threat assessments and actionable flight-safety reports. Responsibilities

1. Orbital Pattern-of-Life (PoL) & Maneuver Reconstruction

• Track and establish baseline operational behavioral profiles for active commercial, civil, and sovereign satellites across LEO, MEO, and GEO.
• Detect, reconstruct, and classify delta-V maneuvers (in-plane phasing, plane changes, drag makeup, and station-keeping) to distinguish routine orbital housekeeping from non-cooperative orbital rendezvous or proximity operations (RPO).
• Investigate on-orbit anomalies, tumbling states, mission retirements, orbital breakups/fragmentations, and atmospheric re-entry timelines.

1. Conjunction Screening & Flight Safety Risk Analysis

• Ingest and evaluate automated Conjunction Data Messages (CDMs) from public catalogs (Space-Track.org) and commercial sensor networks.
• Evaluate miss-distance geometry, covariance uncertainty ellipsoids, and time of closest approach (TCA) to compute collision probabilities (P_c) using standard algorithms.
• Support satellite operations teams in evaluating trade-offs for Collision Avoidance Maneuvers (CAM), balancing propellant consumption, operational downtime, and risk mitigation.

1. Multi-Sensor Track Correlation & Data Fusion

• Correlate and reconcile disparate tracking data sources—including optical angles-only data (Right Ascension/Declination), ground and space-based radar tracks, RF geolocations, and onboard GPS ephemerides.
• Identify and resolve Uncorrelated Tracks (UCTs), sensor misassociations, and cross-tagging errors in high-density orbital regimes.
• Correlate space environment data (solar flux, geomagnetic Ap/Kp indices) to isolate space weather-induced atmospheric drag perturbations from deliberate spacecraft maneuvers.

1. Space Intelligence Briefings & Product Evolution

• Author tactical space intelligence briefs, orbital incident case studies, and weekly constellation safety digests for defense commands, commercial fleet operators, and civil space regulators.

• Define analytical logic, risk alert thresholds, and visualization requirements (e.g., orbital ground tracks, covariance projections, pass predictions) for SkyServe’s user-facing SSA platform and dashboard interfaces.

• Provide ground-truth validation feedback to internal AI/ML engineers developing automated on-orbit anomaly detection pipelines. Key Qualifications & Skills Educational Background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Space Sciences, Astronomy/Astrophysics, Applied Mathematics, Geoinformatics, or a related quantitative discipline. Domain Expertise:

• Astrodynamics Fundamentals: Firm grasp of two-body orbital mechanics, orbital perturbations (J_2–J_4, atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure, third-body gravity), coordinate systems (ECI/J2000, TEME, ECEF), and orbital state representations (Keplerian, Equinoctial, Cartesian).

• Space Data Formats: Working knowledge of Two-Line Element (TLE) / Orbit Mean-Elements Message (OMM) parsing, SGP4/SDP4 propagation, and CCSDS standards (CDM, OEM, OPM).

• Space Operations Acumen: Understanding of constellation architectures, orbit regimes, satellite operational modes, and space debris mitigation guidelines (e.g., ISO 24113, Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee - IADC). Technical Skills:

• Programming & Scripting: Strong proficiency in Python and its scientific data stack (pandas, NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib/Plotly).

• Astrodynamics Toolkits: Hands-on experience with orbital mechanics libraries and toolsets (e.g., Skyfield, Astropy, Orekit / Orekit-Python, poliastro, STK/Systems Tool Kit, or GMAT).

• Databases & Querying: Solid foundation in SQL and querying time-series or spatio-temporal datasets (PostgreSQL/PostGIS, DuckDB, or TimescaleDB). Nice-to-Haves

• Prior professional, military, or academic research experience working with commercial tracking datasets (e.g., LeoLabs, Slingshot Aerospace, COMSPOC, ExoAnalytic) or 18th SDS / Space-Track catalogs.

• Familiarity with machine learning workflows for time-series anomaly detection, classification metrics (Precision, Recall, F1), or automated pattern recognition.

• Experience with satellite operations centers (MOC/SOC), university CubeSat telemetry monitoring, or amateur satellite tracking networks