Satellite Flight Software Engineer III - TeraWave

Application close date:

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! 

We are seeking a Satellite Flight Software Engineer III to design, develop, and verify applications for TeraWave’s satellite flight software subsystem. This role will be instrumental in building robust, scalable flight software to support the expansion of TeraWave into a 5,408-vehicle constellation. The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineer with experience developing reliable, mission-critical software for onboard spacecraft avionics systems with emphasis on command and data handling (C&DH), telecommand and telemetry processing, spacecraft time management, hardware I/O interfaces, and cybersecurity.

• Design, develop, and implement flight software for TeraWave's command and data handling (C&DH) software, including command routing, onboard data management, telemetry generation, and subsystem control
• Develop telecommand and telemetry processing software for uplink command validation, scheduling, and execution, and onboard health and status data collection and downlink management
• Develop spacecraft time management software including onboard time correlation, synchronization with GPS/GNSS time references, and precision timing distribution across vehicle subsystems
• Create and maintain software interfaces between C&DH and other spacecraft subsystems to support safe and secure vehicle operations
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, and autonomy engineers to define software requirements, interfaces, and behavioral boundaries across subsystems
• Develop and integrate simulation environments and models to test FSW across a range of nominal and off-nominal operational scenarios
• Support software architecture, design reviews, and systems engineering trade studies
• Participate in software integration, verification, and validation testing including software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments
• Support on-orbit operations and troubleshooting of deployed spacecraft
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to team technical development

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field
• 6+ years of experience in spacecraft flight software or embedded software development
• Strong programming skills in C, C++, and Python
• Solid understanding of Object-Oriented problem solving and software layering to facilitate modularity and reuse
• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) such as Linux, QNX, VxWorks, RTEMS or equivalent
• Experience developing software for one or more spacecraft avionics functions such as C&DH, telecommand and telemetry processing, or hardware I/O management
• Familiarity with CCSDS standards for spacecraft telecommand and telemetry processing
• Familiarity with cybersecurity principles for space systems including secure boot, command authentication, or encrypted communication links
• Experience with software unit testing frameworks such as Google Test or equivalent for embedded C/C++ environments
• Experience with inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms including sockets, shared memory, message queues, or publish-subscribe middleware
• Experience with cross-compilation toolchains and embedded Linux build systems such as CMake, Make, Yocto, or Buildroot
• Experience with software lifecycle, configuration management (Git), CI/CD, and containerized environments
• Experience with verification/validation practices for mission-critical embedded software systems
• Experience with communication protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP, CAN, I2C, SPI, and RS-422/485
• Familiarity with static analysis tools and flight software coding standards such as MISRA C/C++

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
• Experience with on-orbit spacecraft operations or satellite constellation management
• Experience with over-the-air (OTA) software updates
• Familiarity with CCSDS standards for spacecraft telecommand and telemetry processing
• Familiarity with cybersecurity principles for space systems including secure boot, command authentication, or encrypted communication links
• Experience with onboard time management, precision timing interfaces, or GPS-disciplined time synchronization
• Familiarity with NASA cFS, F Prime, or similar flight software frameworks
• Familiarity with spacecraft FDIR and autonomy software components and their interfaces
• Understanding of radiation effects on electronics and software-based mitigation techniques

At Blue Origin, we’re building the future of space-based connectivity through the TeraWave satellite communications network. As a Satellite Flight Software Engineer III, you will design and test flight software and contribute directly to a large-scale satellite constellation delivering high-performance, resilient global communications. Join a team solving complex, mission-critical problems at the intersection of spacecraft, software, networking, and systems integration.

Base Pay Range for:

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.