Senior Flight Software Engineer — Real-Time Spacecraft Systems

Katalyst Space; Broomfield (CO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock options

Relocation bonus

Comprehensive medical, vision, dental

Job summary

Katalyst Space seeks a seasoned software engineer to advance embedded flight software for robotic spacecraft. You’ll own software that enables rendezvous, pose estimation, and hardware interfaces, working in a demanding, high-stakes environment.

We value deep technical mastery in embedded C/C++, RTOS/Linux, and end-to-end feature leadership. Expect extended hours, a competitive compensation package, and opportunities to impact critical space missions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience, including embedded or real-time systems.
• Experience with flight software for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or autonomous systems.
• Deep understanding of software architecture and system-level integration for complex embedded systems.
• Familiarity with fault-tolerant design, redundancy management, and robust error handling.

Responsibilities

• Support spacecraft flight test by executing fault detection and test campaigns, and verification tests.
• Build understanding of rendezvous, capture, and pose estimation software; assist HITL testbed integration.
• Develop and maintain software interfacing to spacecraft hardware using UART, TCP/IP, CAN.
• Document hardware interface APIs for internal and external users.
• Review and contribute to code and subsystem design reviews with technical rigor.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Systems thinking

Embedded C/C++

RTOS/Embedded Linux

Code reviews/technical leadership

Git-based version control/CI-CD

Agile practices

Attention to detail

Education

B.S. in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or related field

Tools

Git

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Katalyst Space seeks a seasoned software engineer to advance embedded flight software for robotic spacecraft. You’ll own software that enables rendezvous, pose estimation, and hardware interfaces, working in a demanding, high-stakes environment.

We value deep technical mastery in embedded C/C++, RTOS/Linux, and end-to-end feature leadership. Expect extended hours, a competitive compensation package, and opportunities to impact critical space missions.