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.
SOFTWARE ENGINEER, AI SATELLITES (STARMIND)
SpaceX is leveraging its experience deploying and operating the world’s largest satellite constellation to develop Starmind, a new constellation of satellites capturing solar energy in space to power low-cost, high-performance AI compute for Earth.
The Starmind team is developing key technologies to power this satellite – massive solar power generation systems, active cooling, propulsion, and the highly reliable software stack that enables our vehicles to accomplish their mission safely and autonomously.
As a Software Engineer on the Starmind team, you’ll have ownership of the stack that will allow us to push our vehicle hardware to the limit oh physics. 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, real-time software designed to run on the gateways, satellites, user terminals, and switches that make up our low latency, high capacity satellite-based global network.
- Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews.
- Develop prototypes and manage experiments to prove out key design concepts.
- 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:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or science discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree (internship experience is applicable).
- Development experience in C, C++, or assembly.
- Experience with application development and distributed systems architecture in a Linux environment.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Strong first-principles problem-solving skills and a focus on designing bug-free, maintainable software
- Strong professional experience writing C, C++ or assembly in a production environment.
- Developed, debugged and deployed software that has been used in real world applications/projects.
- Knowledgeable in real-time rendering, game engine development, physics simulation, or other real-time, resource-constrained, high-performance computing.
- Creative approach to problem solving, exceptional analytical skills and engineering fundamentals.
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
- Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.
- Experience with networking protocols (UDP, TCP/IP, etc) and distributed systems.
- Experience in security issues associated with distributed systems and internet services.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission critical deadlines
- Ability to travel occasionally to support on-site testing
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].
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or science OR 2+ years professional software development experience
- Development experience in C, C++, or assembly
- Experience with application development and distributed systems architecture in a Linux environment
- Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission critical deadlines
- Ability to travel occasionally to support on-site testing
- ITAR eligibility: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, Asylee, or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations
- Strong professional experience writing C, C++ or assembly in a production environment
- Experience with networking protocols (UDP, TCP/IP) and distributed systems
- Experience in security issues associated with distributed systems and internet services
- Knowledge of real-time rendering, game engine development, physics simulation, or other real-time high-performance computing
SpaceX Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SpaceX and has not been reviewed or approved by SpaceX.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are a core part of total compensation, with periodic company-run tender offers that create liquidity before any public listing. These mechanisms can make the equity component feel materially valuable in practice.
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Healthcare Strength — The package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with on-site clinics and health resources at major sites. This breadth of coverage is presented as a strong element of the offering.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Major locations feature on-site amenities such as fitness facilities, food/coffee, clinics, and other conveniences. These lifestyle perks enhance day-to-day value alongside cash and equity.
SpaceX Insights
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.
