SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
BACKEND SOFTWARE ENGINEER, GNC (STARLINK)
At SpaceX, we’re leveraging our experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to 9M+ users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact and are looking for best-in-class engineers to help maximize Starlink’s utility for communities and businesses around the globe.
As a software engineer working in Starlink’s Space Safety team, you will use your distributed systems knowledge to build mission-critical systems that keep low-earth orbit safe. With over 100 launches in 2025 and over 9,000 satellites on orbit, Starlink requires a high degree of automation to fly safely. You’ll work on collision avoidance, space situational awareness, and orbit determination tools for our constellation, making sure can avoid debris and other spacecraft—from pre-launch through deorbit.
Our software engineers are responsible for the complete lifecycle of the software they create, including development, testing, and support. We expect our engineers to close the feedback loop between software design and real-world performance. In this role, your software will have a meaningful and measurable impact on the world.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop highly reliable and available software systems for managing thousands of satellites in low-earth orbit.
- Participate in architecture, design, and code reviews.
- Develop prototypes to prove out key design concepts and quantify technical constraints.
- Develop tools for software development and deployment, data analysis and visualization, and test execution across multiple environments, including virtualized hardware environments, real hardware-in-the-loop simulations, and on-orbit testing.
- Deploy reliable software, test execution, and data analysis as part of a continuous integration and release system.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelors degree in STEM & 1+ year of industry and/or internship experience; OR 2+ years of professional software development experience in lieu of a STEM degree.
- Professional experience writing code in C++, Python, Golang, or similar.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Strong professional experience writing C or C++ in a production environment
- Experience with distributed systems or large-scale consumer internet systems
- Production experience with containerization technologies (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes)
- Understanding of version control, testing, continuous integration, build, deployment, and monitoring.
- Experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, or similar)
- Experience with profiling and improving application performance.
- Experience in real-time rendering, game engine development, physics simulation, or other real-time, resource-constrained, high-performance computing is a plus
- Previous experience with satellites or spacecraft systems is a plus
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].
Top Skills
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary.
SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
