Flight Software Engineer

Location: Hawthorne, CA (near LAX)

Relocation: Available

Team Size: ~20 engineers

Compensation: $90,000–$205,000 + equity (based on performance, level, and location)

About the Mission

Imagine a world where solar power doesn’t shut off at sunset.

We are building a constellation of autonomous spacecraft designed to reflect sunlight back to Earth after dark—unlocking nighttime solar energy for the first time in history.

This is not theoretical.

We are launching our first spacecraft in 2026, backed by top‑tier investors and led by engineers who have built and flown real hardware in orbit.

If you want to write software that will operate a fleet of autonomous spacecraft in low‑Earth orbit, this is that opportunity.

What You’ll Build

As a Flight Software Engineer, you will design and deploy the software that powers every spacecraft in our constellation. Your work will span:

• Autonomous decision‑making and onboard control
• Real‑time embedded C/C++ on ARM microcontrollers
• Embedded Linux systems for mission‑critical operations
• Guidance, navigation, and control (GNC)
• Command and data handling
• Fault detection, isolation, and recovery
• Over‑the‑air updates to on‑orbit vehicles
• Hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing and day‑in‑the‑life simulations

You will own your systems end‑to‑end—from concept and architecture to implementation, testing, and on‑orbit performance.

This is a role for engineers who want to see their code fly.

What You’ll Do

• Develop autonomous flight software for a new class of spacecraft
• Build the infrastructure for rigorous testing and large‑scale deployment
• Implement real‑time control loops, state estimation, and system health monitoring
• Design fault‑tolerant software using watchdogs, voting logic, ECC, and FDIR
• Work directly with electrical, mechanical, and mission operations engineers
• Support on‑orbit operations and deliver OTA updates to live spacecraft
• Contribute to architecture decisions that shape the entire constellation

Minimum Requirements

• Demonstrated excellence on a comparable software project (autonomy, robotics, flight software, or high‑reliability embedded systems)
• 3+ years of professional C/C++ experience

Ideal Experience

You don’t need all of these, but the strongest candidates will have several:

• BS in CS, EE, ME, or Aerospace Engineering
• Flight software experience for spacecraft or similar high‑reliability systems
• ARM microcontroller development
• Embedded Linux (Yocto, Buildroot, custom kernels)
• Strong debugging, unit testing, and integration testing skills
• Networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, CAN, UART, SPI, I2C)
• Fault‑tolerant software design (watchdogs, voting logic, ECC, FDIR)
• Exposure to MISRA‑C, JSF, DO‑178C, or similar standards
• Experience in fast‑paced, high‑ownership engineering environments

Who Thrives Here

We hire outliers—people who have done something exceptional, unusual, or bold.

Not just “good engineers,” but people who have demonstrated intensity, creativity, and a track record of doing hard things.

Examples of backgrounds that stand out:

• Built a complex robotics or embedded system solo
• Led major engineering projects early in your career
• Designed custom hardware or flight computers
• Worked on spacecraft, rockets, drones, or autonomous vehicles
• Promoted rapidly due to exceptional performance
• Achieved something rare in any domain—technical or otherwise

If you’ve done something that made people say, “I can’t believe you pulled that off,” we want to talk to you.

Why This Role Is Different

• Your code will fly on every spacecraft we launch
• You will work directly with founders and senior engineers
• You will have ownership over major subsystems
• You will see your work go from idea → hardware → orbit quickly
• You will help define a new category of space technology

This is a chance to build something the world has never seen before.