Flight Software Engineer

Clearspace; Royal Borough of Greenwich; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

ClearSpace is seeking a Flight Software Engineer for our UK office to join our in-orbit servicing missions. You will strengthen the interface between the Flight Software and GNC teams, and take responsibility for development, integration, and validation of GNC software within the spacecraft Flight Software.

You will contribute to the full software lifecycle from requirements and design through implementation, verification, and testing on representative spacecraft test benches.

Qualifications

• Degree required in aerospace/Software CS or related field.
• Around 3-5 years of professional experience.
• Proven experience in embedded software development.
• Familiar with software engineering best practices incl. version control, testing, CI.
• Knowledge of GNC subsystem is a plus.
• Experience with simulation environments and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Familiarity with spacecraft verification and validation activities.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to GNC design activities, including trade-off analyses involving Flight Software aspects.
• Design, specify, develop, and maintain the GNC software.
• Lead the integration of GNC software into the spacecraft Flight Software.

Skills

Embedded software development

Version control

Testing CI

Education

Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline

Job description

At ClearSpace, we believe in reusability, in affordability driving disruption, and that no progress is real unless it is sustainable.

Our company was founded in 2018 out of the realization that in-orbit servicing and space debris removal are vital services for the future of space exploration and operations. Today ClearSpace has assembled an expert engineering team and is leading the way toward sustainable space operations. From a garage in Switzerland, we now operate across UK and Europe, and are working with world-leading institutions and companies to bring our dream of a sustainable space ecosystem to life.

We are looking for a Flight Software Engineer to join our UK office who will work on both our current missions and future projects.

Role Purpose/Summary

Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) is a key subsystem of ClearSpace spacecraft and enables the relative navigation and proximity operations that are at the core of our in-orbit servicing missions.

We are looking for a Flight Software Engineer to strengthen the interface between the Flight Software and GNC teams. In this role, you will take responsibility for the development, integration, and validation of GNC software within the spacecraft Flight Software.

You will contribute to the full software lifecycle, from requirements and design through implementation, verification, and testing on representative spacecraft test benches.

Role Responsibilities

Methods and tools

The development of state-of-the-art software and simulation environments is a key enabler for ClearSpace missions. The successful candidate will play a leading role in developing and continuously improving the tools and environments used by both the Flight Software and GNC teams, including simulation environments, software development infrastructure, and automated verification frameworks.

Design and development

• Contribute to GNC design activities, including trade-off analyses involving Flight Software aspects.
• Design, specify, develop, and maintain the GNC software.
• Lead the integration of GNC software into the spacecraft Flight Software.

Software Verification

• Define and execute software verification activities, including code reviews, static analysis, and software testing. Ensure compliance with software quality and coding standards.
• Design, implement, execute, and analyse closed-loop GNC software tests on FlatSat and other representative test environments.
• Support the development and validation of the test bench for the GNC closed-loop tests.

GNC Subsystem Verification

• Contribute to subsystem-level GNC verification and validation activities.
• Support the preparation, execution, and analysis of GNC test campaigns.

Must have

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Around 3-5 years of professional experience.
• Proven experience in standard-driven embedded software development.
• Familiar with software engineering best practices, including version control, testing, and continuous integration.

Nice to have

• Knowledge of GNC subsystem
• Experience with simulation environments and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Familiarity with spacecraft verification and validation activities.

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