Senior Flight Software Engineer
About The Position
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, and 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.
Benefits
- medical, dental, and vision insurance
- paid time off and company holidays
- 401(k) retirement plan
- equity compensation
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
