Senior Spacecraft Autonomy Engineer

Fortastra

Torrance (CA)

On-site

USD 195,000 - 225,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Healthcare

Equity

401(k)

Team events

Job summary

Fortastra is seeking a Senior Autonomy Engineer to design and implement onboard autonomy for a constellation of spacecraft. You will develop software that enables multi-agent coordination, navigation, and trajectory planning within a Linux-based environment and ROS toolchains.

You will work closely with GNC and flight software teams, validating autonomy from simulation to on-orbit operations. A strong emphasis on reliability, safety, and edge compute decisions drives the role in Fortastra’s

Qualifications

BS degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
5–8 years of experience in robotics or autonomous systems.
Strong programming skills in Python and C++.
Experience with Linux (Ubuntu) development environments.
Familiarity with ROS or similar robotics frameworks.
Understanding of safety-critical systems and fault tolerance.
Exposure to sensor fusion (camera, radar, lidar).

Responsibilities

Develop autonomy algorithms for multi-agent spacecraft coordination.
Implement navigation and trajectory planning respecting space mission constraints.
Design sensor fusion approaches focusing on camera, radar, and lidar used onboard.
Collaborate with GNC, avionics, and flight software teams to define interfaces and test strategies.