Software Engineer

Aetherflux•San Carlos, CA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure. As a Software Engineer at Cowboy Space Corp., you will build the systems that control, operate, and scale our spacecraft and ground infrastructure. This includes flight software, simulation, mission control systems, and the tooling needed to test and operate hardware in real time. This is a highly ownership-driven role where you’ll work across the stack—from low-level systems interacting with hardware to higher-level services that enable mission operations. You’ll collaborate closely with hardware teams (propulsion, power, avionics) to bring up systems, validate performance, and ensure reliable operation in demanding environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field
3+ years of experience building production software systems
Strong programming skills in languages such as C++, Python, or Rust
Experience working close to hardware, distributed systems, or real-time systems
Solid understanding of systems fundamentals (operating systems, networking, concurrency)
Experience working in fast-paced, engineering-driven environments

Nice To Haves

Experience with flight software, embedded systems, or robotics
Background in aerospace, autonomous systems, or high-reliability environments
Experience building simulation frameworks or hardware-in-the-loop testing systems
Familiarity with Linux-based systems and low-level debugging
Experience with cloud infrastructure or distributed systems for mission operations
Track record of owning systems end-to-end in high-ownership environments

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain software for spacecraft systems, ground systems, and mission operations
Develop flight software that interfaces directly with hardware and supports real-time control
Build simulation and testing frameworks to validate system behavior before deployment
Collaborate with hardware engineers to integrate, test, and debug systems end-to-end
Write performant, reliable code for resource-constrained and mission-critical environments
Develop internal tools to support testing, automation, and operational workflows
Participate in system bring-up, integration, and launch preparation activities
Monitor and support on-orbit operations, including debugging and performance optimization
Contribute to system architecture decisions across software and hardware boundaries
Balance speed, reliability, and scalability in a fast-paced development environment