Spacecraft Software Engineer — Real-Time Systems

Cowboy Space Corporation; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

Holidays

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Office lunch

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA is seeking a Software Engineer to build the systems that control, operate, and scale our spacecraft and ground infrastructure.

This includes flight software, simulation, mission control systems, and the tooling needed to test and operate hardware in real time. This is a highly ownership-driven role where you’ll work across the stack—from low-level systems interacting with hardware to higher-level services that enable mission operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience building production software systems.
• Strong programming skills in C++, Python, or Rust.
• Experience near hardware, distributed systems, or real-time systems.
• Solid understanding of systems fundamentals (OS, networking, concurrency).
• Experience in fast-paced, engineering-driven environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain software for spacecraft and ground systems.
• Develop flight software that interfaces with hardware for real-time control.
• Build simulation and testing frameworks to validate system behavior before deployment.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to integrate, test, and debug systems end-to-end.
• Write performant, reliable code for resource-constrained environments.
• Develop internal tools to support testing, automation, and operational workflows.
• Participate in system bring-up, integration, and launch preparation activities.
• Monitor and support on-orbit operations, including debugging and optimization.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions across software and hardware boundaries.
• Balance speed, reliability, and scalability in a fast-paced development environment.

Skills

C++

Python

Rust

Distributed systems

Real-time systems

Operating systems

Networking

Concurrency

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Linux

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA is seeking a Software Engineer to build the systems that control, operate, and scale our spacecraft and ground infrastructure.

This includes flight software, simulation, mission control systems, and the tooling needed to test and operate hardware in real time. This is a highly ownership-driven role where you’ll work across the stack—from low-level systems interacting with hardware to higher-level services that enable mission operations.