Principal Satellite Flight Software Developer - TeraWave
About The Position
At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! This role is part of TeraWave, a satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations. Special Mentions: This position is part of Blue Origin's TeraWave business unit, a newly announced satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. TeraWave consists of 5,408 optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field
- 8+ years of experience in developing embedded software for space systems or similar mission-critical applications
- Demonstrated experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and embedded programming
- Proficiency in C/C++ programming languages
- Experience with flight software architecture design and implementation
- Knowledge of software development lifecycle processes for mission-critical systems
- Experience with version control systems (Git) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines
- Familiarity with communication protocols used in spacecraft (CAN, I2C, SPI, RS-422/485)
- Experience with software testing methodologies for embedded systems
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering
- Experience with NASA's Core Flight System (cFS) or similar flight software frameworks
- Knowledge of satellite communications systems and protocols
- Experience with high-throughput data processing systems
- Familiarity with optical inter-satellite link technologies
- Experience with Rust programming language for embedded systems
- Background in developing software for satellite constellations or distributed space systems
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing for spacecraft systems
- Knowledge of radiation-hardened computing environments and associated software considerations
- Experience with fault-tolerant computing and redundancy management
- Previous work on communication satellite systems or networks
Responsibilities
- Lead the design, development, and implementation of the core flight software architecture for the TeraWave satellite constellation
- Architect and develop robust, scalable software solutions for the 5,408 optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO)
- Architect and develop platform-independent, reusable software frameworks to expedite flight software development across the TeraWave constellation
- Design and implement command and data handling systems that enable the high-throughput capabilities of the TeraWave network (up to 6 Tbps)
- Develop and maintain critical flight software components for satellite operations, including command processing, telemetry, fault detection, isolation, and recovery
- Create and implement software interfaces between various satellite subsystems (power, communications, attitude control, thermal management)
- Establish software development standards, best practices, and architectural patterns for the TeraWave flight software team
- Collaborate with systems engineers to define software requirements and system interfaces
- Perform code reviews on flight software best practices
- Design and implement real-time embedded software solutions for satellite operations
- Develop and execute comprehensive test plans to validate flight software functionality
- Troubleshoot complex software issues in simulated and operational environments
- Support integration and testing activities to verify software functionality in simulated and hardware-in-the-loop environments
- Contribute to technical documentation including software design documents, interface control documents, and test procedures
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
- Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
