Space Autonomy Engineer: State Estimation & Prediction

Inflection Managing Partner, Inc.; Los Angeles, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity incentives

Flexible PTO

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) with company match

Based in Los Angeles

Job summary

Lodestar is seeking a Graduate Software Engineer (I or II) focused on state estimation and prediction for its MITHRIL autonomy software. You will research and develop estimation techniques, fuse probabilistic and ML approaches, and contribute to predicting trajectories and intent for autonomous space assets.

Join an engineering culture that emphasizes extreme ownership and cross-functional collaboration in a Los Angeles-based team working on cutting-edge space autonomy systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, completed within the last 24 months or due to be completed before your start date.
• Working proficiency in C++ and Python, evidenced through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects.
• Grounding in probabilistic state estimation (Kalman filters, particle filters, Bayesian inference).
• Practical exposure to a deep learning framework (PyTorch, TensorFlow), including sequence modelling (seq2seq, RNNs, LSTMs, Transformers)
• Familiarity with trajectory modelling, multi-body dynamics, or orbital mechanics
• Demonstrated ability to work through open-ended technical problems and communicate your reasoning clearly

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and implementation of Lodestar's core state estimation and prediction architecture for autonomous spacecraft operations
• Support research into novel estimation and prediction algorithms, from literature review through training and tuning to optimisation and deployment
• Implement, test, and benchmark classical and neural estimators that track the current state and trajectory of multiple dynamic targets in real time
• Build and evaluate neural models that forecast future trajectories and behavioural patterns of targets
• Assist in the development of intent inference models that identify actions and dynamically rank threat levels
• Integrate state estimation and prediction models into mission simulation environments and autonomy decision systems
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including perception and on-board autonomy, to ensure prediction fidelity, robustness, and scalability across missions

Skills

C++

Python

Kalman filters

Bayesian inference

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Sequence modelling

Trajectory modelling

Orbital mechanics

Open-ended problems

Communication

Linux

Git

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Real-time systems

Networking

Open-source contributions

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in CS/Aerospace/Robotics/Applied Math

Tools

None specified

Job description

Lodestar is seeking a Graduate Software Engineer (I or II) focused on state estimation and prediction for its MITHRIL autonomy software. You will research and develop estimation techniques, fuse probabilistic and ML approaches, and contribute to predicting trajectories and intent for autonomous space assets.

Join an engineering culture that emphasizes extreme ownership and cross-functional collaboration in a Los Angeles-based team working on cutting-edge space autonomy systems.