Senior Flight Software Engineer

Lux Aeterna•Denver, CO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Mission Space is the infrastructure layer for humanity’s next industrial revolution. While reusable rockets have opened the door, true economic transformation requires orbital logistics that is as accessible and reliable as commercial aviation. At Lux Aeterna, we’re building that future by developing the first fully reusable satellite platform built for reliable reentry, recovery, and rapid redeployment, transforming space from a one-way street into a two-way highway for innovation and commerce. The Opportunity We're seeking a Senior Flight Software Engineer to develop and validate the software that will command our revolutionary reusable satellite platform. You'll build safety-critical systems that operate autonomously in the harshest environment known to humanity, and own the testing strategy to ensure they work flawlessly in orbit and during atmospheric reentry. This is a unique opportunity to: Develop flight software architecture for autonomous spacecraft operations Build real-time embedded systems that control everything from propulsion to payload operations Design and implement comprehensive testing strategies for safety-critical code Create fault-tolerant software that handles the unexpected in orbit and during reentry Join a rapidly growing team with the resources to tackle ambitious technical challenges.

Requirements

B.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
7+ years of experience developing flight software for spacecraft or safety-critical systems
Expert proficiency in C/C++ for flight software development
Strong experience developing Linux-based flight software for satellites or embedded systems
Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) such as VxWorks, FreeRTOS, or similar
Strong understanding of embedded systems constraints: memory, processing, and power limitations
Experience designing and implementing automated test frameworks (unit, integration, system)
Demonstrated expertise building SIL and HITL test environments
Proficiency with version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks

Nice To Haves

M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field
Experience with spacecraft flight software development and space-rated processors
Proficiency in Rust for embedded systems
Knowledge of DO-178C, NASA-STD-8739.8, or similar safety-critical software standards
Familiarity with CAN bus, RS-422, and other spacecraft communication protocols
Experience with Linux kernel development or real-time Linux variants (PREEMPT_RT)
Experience with distributed systems design and inter-process communication
Experience with formal verification methods and static analysis tools
Background in fault-tolerant computing and redundancy management
Expertise in test frameworks (Google Test, Catch2, or similar)
Experience with simulation tools and physics engines for spacecraft modeling
Prior work with autonomous systems and machine learning on embedded platforms
Contributions to open-source aerospace or robotics projects

Responsibilities

Own flight software development and validation for our reusable satellite platform.
Architect and implement flight software for spacecraft operations
Develop Linux-based software for avionics, propulsion, thermal, and payload subsystems
Build autonomous decision-making algorithms for mission-critical operations
Create robust fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) software
Design and implement spacecraft-to-ground communication protocols and telemetry systems
Architect distributed flight software systems across multiple spacecraft subsystems
Architect and build comprehensive software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) test frameworks
Develop test automation pipelines and validate flight software across all subsystems
Work with security-hardened systems for spacecraft command and data integrity
Support integration, testing, and on-orbit commissioning of flight software
Collaborate with GNC, avionics, and mission operations teams to ensure seamless system integration