Life at Firefly
At Firefly, we’re focused on making space attainable for everyone – including you! Each team member’s passion, dedication, and innovative ideas have a direct impact on fueling our successful trajectory into space. And there’s no shortage of meaningful projects to work on at Firefly. With launch, lunar, and orbital vehicles, Firefly has a diverse line of business with opportunities to get hands-on experience launching rockets, operating in space, and landing on the Moon.
Our Values
Headquartered in the Lone Star State, Firefly’s hardworking team reflects Texas’ GO BIG culture in everything we do. We build big, achieve big, and dream big. We’re building launch vehicles and spacecraft to provide rapid, reliable space access. We’ve achieved some incredible wins, including the first successful commercial Moon landing. And we’re dreaming bigger than this planet with ambitions to Mars, Venus, and beyond. Our core values are what drive us along the way.
Our Benefits
We take care of our Fireflies with some of the best benefits in the industry. Our mission to make space for everyone starts with our employees and allowing them to make space for their family, their career, and their future.
Job Openings
From launch technicians to propulsion engineers, Firefly has open roles across the company. We’re looking for passionate, bright innovators to join our team and help make space an achievable dream for everyone.
Internship - Mission Operations (Spacecraft) - Spring 2027
ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE
Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.
SUMMARY
This internship provides a foundational pathway into spacecraft mission operations by immersing you in the development of Mission Operations Center ground segment test plans, flight operations procedures, high-fidelity simulations, and complex operations workflows for both the Blue Ghost lunar lander and the Elytra orbital vehicle. You will receive direct mentorship from Mission Operations Engineers, gaining the technical proficiency and operational mindset necessary to build a strong professional foundation for a potential full-time role in the field.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and test flight procedures and operational checklists for spacecraft missions.
- Prepare and validate simulation runs and mission rehearsals by supporting ground system configuration, scenario and automation validation, and nominal/anomaly injection execution.
- Work on ground system tasks, such as requirements verification, test plan development, and workflow documentation.
- Engage and contribute in team meetings and briefings to learn how mission operations decisions are made.
- Own the development of focused projects and tools that help the team and systems prepare for flight operations.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
- Must be currently enrolled in either a BS or MS program (or a recent graduate) at an accredited four-year university or college.
- Interest in spacecraft operations, ground control systems, or simulation environments.
- Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, or similar tools
- Comfortable working in Linux/command-line environments.
- Able to follow structured processes and work collaboratively.
Desired:
- Experience with CubeSat or small satellite projects.
- Exposure to ground systems, simulators, or mission operations tools.
- Familiarity with scripting, automation, or documentation tools
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.