Lead Flight Software Engineer

United States Digital Space LLC; United States; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Competitive salary

Hybrid work

Visa sponsorship

Relocation support

Health insurance

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC seeks engineers to own the onboard flight software stack, implementing real-time Rust/C/C++ on RTOS or Embedded Linux. You will define ICDs, build drivers, and develop autonomous behaviors for safe, reliable operations in space.

Responsibilities include end-to-end integration, verification, and OTA update delivery, collaborating across avionics, AOCS, and comms teams to optimize budgets while ensuring mission success. Hybrid work with remote day weekly.

Qualifications

• Proven experience building production embedded or real-time systems in C/C++ and/or Rust on RTOS or Embedded Linux for space systems.
• Strong grasp of real-time software: scheduling, interrupts, concurrency primitives, determinism, and designing for constrained CPU/memory.
• Proven ability to build reliable, testable systems: unit/integration testing, simulation-first development, HIL validation, and disciplined debugging.
• Hands-on experience integrating with hardware via common interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN(-FD), GPIO, etc.) and practical lab debugging.
• Solid software engineering fundamentals: architecture, code review, static analysis, CI/CD, configuration management, and observability/logging.
• Ability to own systems end-to-end: from requirements and design through implementation, verification, operations support, and iterative improvement.

Responsibilities

• Own the on-board flight-software stack – design, implement and test real-time Rust/C/C++ on RTOS or Embedded Linux.
• Integrate subsystems end-to-end – define ICDs and build drivers/middleware over I2C/SPI/UART/CAN(-FD)/SpaceWire.
• Build spacecraft behaviors & autonomy – implement mode management, sequencing, and autonomous FDIR.
• Deliver reliable real-time performance – manage concurrency, timing, CPU/memory budgets, and observability.
• Build verification infrastructure – prototypes, SIL/HIL test harnesses, simulations, and telemetry analysis tooling.
• Ship code from review to orbit – push through CI/CD, support integration and launch ops, OTA updates.
• Work across disciplines – collaborate with avionics, AOCS, comms and mission teams to manage budgets.

Skills

C/C++

Rust

RTOS / Embedded Linux

Real-time systems

Space hardware integration

Tools

I2C

SPI

UART

CAN-FD

SpaceWire

Job description

At the company, our mission is to engineer the lowest orbiting satellites on Earth to rapidly advance global connectivity and insight.

We are currently building satellites that can operate at an altitude of just 200 km - one-third that of conventional satellites.

Your role

You’ll own the software that makes the spacecraft behave: real-time control flows, autonomy, mode management, and the core flight applications that coordinate every subsystem. You’ll design and implement robust flight-software services on RTOS or Embedded Linux - turning mission requirements into deterministic, testable software - then take it from simulation all the way to launch and on-orbit operations.

You’ll ensure our VLEO satellites stay safe and productive with strong fault tolerance, clean observability, and rapid iteration through over-the-air updates.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the on-board flight-software stack – design, implement and test real-time Rust/C/C++ on RTOS or Embedded Linux.
• Integrate subsystems end-to-end – define ICDs and build drivers/middleware over I2C/SPI/UART/CAN(-FD)/SpaceWire (as applicable).
• Build spacecraft behaviors & autonomy – implement mode management, sequencing, and autonomous FDIR for safe and productive operations.
• Deliver reliable real-time performance – manage concurrency, timing, CPU/memory budgets, and observability under tight constraints.
• Build verification infrastructure – prototypes, SIL/HIL test harnesses, simulations, and telemetry analysis tooling to validate designs early.
• Ship code from review to orbit – push through CI/CD, support integration and launch ops, and deliver secure over-the-air updates.
• Work across disciplines – collaborate with avionics, AOCS, comms and mission teams to trade compute, power, thermal, storage and link budgets.

Fundamental Requirements

• Proven experience in building production embedded or real-time systems in C/C++ and/or Rust on RTOS or Embedded Linux for space systems.
• Strong grasp of real-time software: scheduling, interrupts, concurrency primitives, determinism, and designing for constrained CPU/memory.
• Proven ability to build reliable, testable systems: unit/integration testing, simulation-first development, HIL validation, and disciplined debugging.
• Hands-on experience integrating with hardware via common interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN(-FD), GPIO, etc.) and practical lab debugging.
• Solid software engineering fundamentals: architecture, code review, static analysis, CI/CD, configuration management, and observability/logging.
• Ability to own systems end-to-end: from requirements and design through implementation, verification, operations support, and iterative improvement.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with spacecraft flight software frameworks (e.g., cFS, F´, or building lightweight component-based equivalents).
• Familiarity with autonomy and fault management patterns for radiation/SEUs, watchdog strategies, redundancy, and safe-mode design.
• GNC/AOCS-adjacent experience: sensor/actuator pipelines, control-loop integration, estimation/filters, timing analysis.
• Digital-twin / simulator / SIL-HIL experience for end-to-end behavior validation and regression testing.
• On-orbit operations know‑how: commissioning flows, anomaly response, telemetry triage, and OTA update strategies.

Why the company?

• Pioneering Space Technology – You'll contribute to launching groundbreaking technology into space. Your work on our revolutionary ion propulsion system and ULEO satellite platform will redefine satellite operations and disrupt traditional LEO operations.
• Unmatched Ownership and Impact – You'll experience a level of ownership that's rare in the space industry. You will participate in the full lifecycle of satellite technology.
• Equity and Competitive Salary – You'll receive not just a competitive salary but also company ownership stakes. Your dedication and hard work are rewarded with a share in the technology you help build, ensuring you're a part of our collective success.
• Comprehensive Benefits Package –Including private health insurance with dental and optical coverage, annual healthcare check‑ups etc.
• Hybrid Work - A hybrid setup with one dedicated remote day per week.
• Visa Sponsorship & Relocation Support - We provide a relocation package and sponsor your visa if you’re joining us from abroad.