About Us

The team at Advanced Space is leading humanity back to the Moon and pioneering innovative solutions in the space industry. Based in Westminster Colorado, this incredible team is looking for a 2026 Mission Design Summer Intern to join our astrodynamics team. Interns will be paired with a member of the technical staff, who will provide mentorship and oversee their summer projects. This internship provides hands-on experience in mission design and research, offering opportunities to contribute to meaningful space exploration initiatives.

Advanced Space is a rapidly growing, privately held business that incorporates our core values in all that we do. Advanced Space exists to support the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space and operates with four core values: We are customer obsessed and mission focused; when we see it, we solve it; we are one team, motivated by our vision; and we bring technical excellence and inexhaustible curiosity.

We encourage university students at all levels to apply! Typically, our astrodynamics intern class is comprised of graduate students or advanced undergraduate students that have taken coursework on orbital mechanics and/or participated in undergraduate research. Successful applicants will have a strong foundation in orbital mechanics and computer programming and an interest in working professionally as a spacecraft mission designer and navigator. 

Responsibilities

• Work with technical staff on summer projects in astrodynamics and mission design.
• Support projects such as:
• NRHO stationkeeping strategies.
• Rendezvous and proximity operations.
• Transfers between periodic orbits in the three-body problem.
• Interplanetary mission design with multiple gravity assists.
• Aerocapture flight mechanics.
• Trajectory optimization via evolutionary algorithms.
• Reinforcement learning applied to trajectory design.
• Optical navigation using AI algorithms.
• Present findings and results through reports or presentations.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• University student working toward a degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or another engineering discipline.
• Focus on astrodynamics, navigation, guidance and control, optimization, and/or estimation theory.
• Strong foundation in orbital mechanics and computer programming.
• Interest in pursuing a career as a spacecraft mission designer and navigator.
• Previous coursework or undergraduate/graduate research in orbital mechanics is encouraged.

Compensation/Perks

• Competitive internship compensation. $24-$34
• Mentorship and guidance from technical staff.
• Opportunities to contribute to research projects directly tied to active space missions.
• Collaborative work environment at our Westminster, Colorado headquarters.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, permanent resident/green card holder, or protected individual).
• Must be able to work in-person at our Westminster, CO office.
• Applications will be evaluated and interviewed on a rolling basis. Final deadline: Monday, November 3, 2025 at 11:59 pm MT.

About the company:

Advanced Space exists to enable the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space through software and services that leverage unique subject matter expertise. The company is actively supporting mission and cutting-edge capabilities spanning commercial, civil, and national security customers. Our core business is focused on three areas: (1) mission enabling services, (2) technology solutions and (3) mission solutions. Through its mission enabling services, Advanced Space provides mission and flight optimization, mission design, mission systems engineering. With its technology solutions Advanced Space provides its customers with trusted AI/ML/autonomy expertise, flight-demonstrated applications, and analysis at scale. Advanced Space offers Mission Solutions with unique turn-key missions, data and capabilities purchases and demonstrated cislunar and Martian success. Advanced Space is mission focused as the owner and operator of CAPSTONE™ for NASA and Prime contractor for Oracle for AFRL.

These competencies are leveraged by a dynamic, flexible, and agile team with cross domain knowledge. We have a small but growing team that works collaboratively across projects. We provide flexibility, and an opportunity for passionate employees to contribute directly to meaningful projects. Trusted to take on the challenge, the team at Advanced Space is Delivering Innovation to Orbit™ to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Advanced Space, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Advanced Space, LLC recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.