Space Systems Engineering Intern

SAIC’s National Security and Space Sector (NSS) is seeking motivated, self-starting entry-level professionals graduating in 2027 through 2029 who would like to be part of a team engineering solutions to the intelligence problems facing the nation.

SAIC engineers provide expertise to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) across the wide spectrum of technologies needed to build, launch, and operate the most advanced intelligence satellites in the world, enabling our nation to see, hear, and sense all around us from the vantage point of space.

An experienced SAIC mentor will help define a project based on the candidate’s academic focus and interests to deliver a valuable technical contribution to the program while working side by side with government and SAIC engineers.

The candidate’s internship will include insight into the roles and responsibilities associated with all phases of space systems engineering  and development, briefly summarized here:

• Develop high-level architecture and system requirements for imagery and radio frequency intelligence space systems.
• Derive lower-level, detailed spacecraft and ground performance requirements.
• Review engineering, analyses, manufacturing and test plans for adequacy.
• Review analyses and test data for requirements verification.
• Engage the program’s industry partners across all disciplines and phases.

Within the framework of these roles and responsibilities lie all the fun! Here we use or develop the science and technologies that enable NRO missions: the chemistry of lubricants that keep bearings rotating at 6,000 RPM for decades to control satellite orientation, the physics of Sagnac and Einstein that enable Fiber Optic Gyros to maintain knowledge of satellite orientation, the orbitology math of Newton and Kepler to design constellation architectures, the metallurgy needed to build rocket motors needed lift massive satellites against earth’s gravity, and grinding detail to dust tuning designs of sensors capable of unimaginable levels of intelligence gathering, microelectronics able to withstand the sun’s radiation … the list is nearly endless!

SAIC’s National Security and Space Sector (NSS) internship program offers a unique opportunity to see and learn about the wide spectrum of technical disciplines and mission types that have enabled NRO’s enviable record of successes for over 60 years.

Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship required based on federal law.
• Willing and able to obtain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance w/Polygraph.
• Pursuit of Bachelors or Masters degree in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related STEM discipline graduating in 2027 through 2029.
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams.

Desired Qualifications:

• Previous internship or work experience.
• Systems Engineering course work including development of Requirements, Concepts of Operations, and simple Architectures.
• Course work experience using Descriptive or Physics Modeling.