Flight Software Engineer

Posted Yesterday
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Palo Alto, CA, USA
Hybrid
Senior level
Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Hardware • Software
The Role
Own the architecture, implementation, verification, integration, and maintenance of spacecraft flight software. Design command and telemetry, data management, fault management, timing, health monitoring, and safe-mode systems. Maintain CI and software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop test environments, establish deterministic coding standards, document interfaces, and integrate software with host spacecraft platforms alongside GNC and embedded engineers.
Summary Generated by Built In

About EraDrive

EraDrive builds autonomy software and hardware that let spacecraft see, decide, and act with minimal human supervision. Our software is already flying on multiple satellites. Era-Node is our autonomous software+hardware payload for optical positioning, navigation and timing, and we are growing the team that will build its flight software.

The role

You will own the architecture, implementation, and verification of Era-Node’s flight software. You will work closely with GNC engineers and embedded software engineers and you will be the technical authority on how the flight software is structured, built, tested, and updated.

What you will do

  • Define the flight software architecture, including the framework or executive it is built on, and document the reasoning

  • Design the core services: command and telemetry, data management, event and message handling, timing, and health monitoring

  • Design and implement fault detection, isolation, and recovery procedures, including mode management and safe-mode behavior

  • Define and maintain interface control documents for Era-Node’s integration with the host spacecraft and onboard avionics

  • Maintain the continuous integration pipeline and software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop test environments

  • Set coding standards for deterministic, bounded-resource flight code and enforce them in CI

  • Package and integrate the software with the host platform, working alongside the GNC engineers who own the algorithm flight code and the embedded engineers who own hardware-to-software interfaces

What you bring

  • 5+ years of professional experience in flight software for satellite buses or satellite payloads

  • Strong C++ and C skills on embedded Linux, including PREEMPT_RT or comparable real-time configurations, device drivers, and boot and update flows

  • Hands-on experience with a flight software framework (for example cFS or F´), or with designing command and data handling software from scratch

  • Experience with fault management, telemetry and command design, and interface control documents

  • Experience with software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing

  • Comfort reading and integrating research-grade code written by scientists and engineers

  • Clear technical writing and communication skills

Bonus

  • Experience with space environment effects on software, such as radiation-induced faults and mitigation

  • Familiarity with CCSDS standards

  • Experience integrating star trackers, cameras, or precision timing hardware

  • Background in orbital mechanics or spacecraft GNC

Skills Required

  • 5+ years of professional experience in flight software for satellite buses or payloads
  • Strong C++ and C experience on embedded Linux
  • Experience with PREEMPT_RT or comparable real-time configurations
  • Experience with device drivers and boot and update flows
  • Hands-on experience with a flight software framework such as cFS or F´, or command and data handling software design
  • Experience with fault management, telemetry and command design, and interface control documents
  • Experience with software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing
  • Ability to read and integrate research-grade code written by scientists and engineers
  • Clear technical writing and communication skills
  • Experience with space environment effects, radiation-induced faults, or mitigation
  • Familiarity with CCSDS standards
  • Experience integrating star trackers, cameras, or precision timing hardware
  • Background in orbital mechanics or spacecraft GNC
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The Company
11 Employees
Year Founded: 2025

What We Do

EraDrive builds AI-native software and hardware that give spacecraft onboard autonomy to perceive their surroundings, make decisions, and maneuver with minimal human control. Its platform supports space safety and performance through space-traffic management, on-orbit logistics, situational awareness, trajectory optimization, alternative positioning, and collision avoidance. Modular products serve commercial and government missions, including rendezvous, on-orbit inspection, and space-based sensing, while contributing to a real-time space-traffic intelligence network.

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