Senior Flight Software Engineer – Autonomous Spacecraft

Lux Aeterna; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Health insurance

Paid time off

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Lux Aeterna in Denver, CO is seeking a Senior Flight Software Engineer to architect and validate software for our reusable satellite platform. You will build real-time, safety-critical systems and drive verification through SIL/HITL test frameworks.

The role requires deep experience in C/C++, Linux-based flight software, RTOS, and embedded systems, with familiarity in safety standards and automated testing.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

C/C++

RTOS

Embedded systems

Linux

CI/CD pipelines

Automated testing

Education

B.S. in Computer Science/Engineering

M.S. in related field

Tools

Git

Linux tooling

GTest/Catch2

Job description

Lux Aeterna in Denver, CO is seeking a Senior Flight Software Engineer to architect and validate software for our reusable satellite platform. You will build real-time, safety-critical systems and drive verification through SIL/HITL test frameworks.

The role requires deep experience in C/C++, Linux-based flight software, RTOS, and embedded systems, with familiarity in safety standards and automated testing.