Senior Flight Software Engineer — TT&C - Project Sunrise – Orbital Data Centers
About The Position
This role is part of Blue Origin’s Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE) team and supports Project Sunrise, a constellation of orbital data centers. The Senior Flight Software Engineer for Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) develops the software that provides the primary communications link to satellites and owns the TT&C software stack, from low-level radio hardware drivers to application-level data packetization and routing. Development can begin using commercial-off-the-shelf transponders before final flight hardware is available, enabling early development and validation of the core software stack. The role involves hands-on integration of hardware and software to create a robust, reliable communications system. The engineer designs, develops, and verifies TT&C flight software; develops transponder drivers and interfaces; implements command processing; and builds telemetry and data-handling software. Testing progresses from commercial transponders to flight hardware in an integrated lab environment. The position also involves coordination with ground software and mission operations teams, and support for on-orbit commissioning and troubleshooting. Travel may be required up to 10% of the time. Relocation assistance is available.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
- At least 5 years of experience in embedded software development.
- Strong C/C++ programming skills in a real-time, resource-constrained environment, such as an RTOS or bare-metal system.
- Demonstrated experience developing software for communication systems, including work with radio hardware, modems, or transponders.
- Experience writing low-level device drivers for interfaces such as SPI, I2C, or UART.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant field.
- Deep understanding of RF communications, digital signal processing, and communication protocols.
- Experience with spacecraft communication protocols such as CCSDS Space Packet Protocol, TM/TC Space Data Link, and SDLS security.
- Hands-on experience testing and debugging hardware/software interfaces using lab equipment such as spectrum analyzers and oscilloscopes.
- Familiarity with software-defined radios (SDR).
- Familiarity with software assurance standards such as NASA-STD-8739.8, NPR 7150.2, ECSS-Q-ST-80C, or equivalent standards such as DO-178C.
- Familiarity with embedded coding standards such as the JPL Institutional Coding Standard, MISRA C/C++, or CERT C/C++.
- A passion for building and testing the end-to-end communications chain, from the operator’s keyboard to the spacecraft and back.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and verify flight software for the TT&C subsystem.
- Develop and maintain device drivers and software interfaces for spacecraft radio transponders.
- Implement command processing logic, including command decoding, validation, and execution.
- Build telemetry and data-handling software to collect, packetize, and downlink vehicle state-of-health and mission data.
- Develop and execute TT&C software test plans, initially using commercial transponders and progressing to flight hardware in an integrated lab environment.
- Collaborate with ground software and mission operations teams to ensure end-to-end compatibility and communications-link performance.
- Support on-orbit commissioning and troubleshooting of the TT&C subsystem.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Basic and supplemental life insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Short- and long-term disability
- 401(k) with company match of up to 5%
- Education Support Program
- Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week
- Up to four weeks of paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours
- Up to 14 company-paid holidays
- Relocation assistance
- Potential eligibility for benefits and bonuses based on role type and job level; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
