Space Operations Systems Engineer — On-Orbit Software

Planet; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 114,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

HSA with company contribution

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Planet is seeking a Space Systems Engineer for Space Operations in San Francisco. You will support daily satellite operations, analyze data, and deploy software on ground and in orbit while collaborating with hardware and software teams to improve system health and on-orbit performance.

The role emphasizes automation, real-time software development, and a proactive, data-driven approach to solving complex space systems problems. San Francisco-based hybrid work is required.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant work experience
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or equivalent
• Experience in software development, particularly in Python or similar languages
• Familiarity with the space environment and its challenges
• Data-driven mindset with experience in statistical analysis
• Proactive approach to engineering and problem-solving
• Effective interpersonal and collaboration skills within a technical team

Responsibilities

• Conduct daily fleet checks and support On-Call shifts
• Test and deploy flight software upgrades, debug satellite anomalies, and perform on-orbit experiments
• Develop and maintain real-time, mission-critical software solutions for satellite operations
• Write scripts to aggregate satellite data and generate system monitoring metrics
• Analyze data to identify issues and inefficiencies in the full stack of services and propose solutions
• Create and maintain operational procedures
• Drive improvements to fleet capacity and productivity through process enhancements
• Provide feedback to launch, manufacturing, and spacecraft engineering teams based on on-orbit performance, technical demonstrations, and forecasting models
• Shape operational strategies for next-generation spacecraft

Skills

Python

Data analysis

Communication

Team collaboration

Self-starter

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or equivalent

Tools

Git

GitLab

Docker

Jenkins

Bash

Linux

CI/CD

Sentry

Datadog

Job description

Planet is seeking a Space Systems Engineer for Space Operations in San Francisco. You will support daily satellite operations, analyze data, and deploy software on ground and in orbit while collaborating with hardware and software teams to improve system health and on-orbit performance.

The role emphasizes automation, real-time software development, and a proactive, data-driven approach to solving complex space systems problems. San Francisco-based hybrid work is required.