SpaceX
Aviation Development Engineer, Networking (Starlink)
About this role
SpaceX seeks an Aviation Development Engineer to design and optimize cabin connectivity architectures for Starlink-equipped aircraft. You'll own end-to-end Wi-Fi system requirements, build hardware-in-the-loop labs simulating airline cabins, and translate flight data into scalable network solutions supporting multi-gigabit passenger experience.
What you'll do
- Own cabin connectivity architecture including AP placement, channel planning, frequency reuse, QoS, and backhaul integration to Starlink terminal
- Specify next-generation Wi-Fi requirements (Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 standards, multi-AP coordination, 6 GHz cabin use, RF coexistence)
- Design, build, and operate hardware-in-the-loop lab environments that replicate airline cabins with routers, APs, clients, and RF isolation
- Configure and validate cabin routers and access points (SSID, VLAN, DHCP, NAT, ACLs, QoS, authentication methods)
- Define passenger authentication and hotspot security (WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise, Passpoint, 802.1X, RADIUS/AAA, roaming)
- Drive technical requirements, milestones, technology trades, and compliance across customer and manufacturing stakeholders
What they're looking for
- Wi-Fi standards and architecture (802.11ax/be, multi-AP systems, MLO, 6 GHz, frequency reuse)
- Network configuration (VLAN, DHCP, NAT, QoS, ACLs, captive portals, RADIUS/AAA)
- Enterprise authentication protocols (WPA2/WPA3, 802.1X, EAP variants, Passpoint/Hotspot 2.0)
- Hardware-in-the-loop lab design and RF testing
- Systems engineering and requirements management
- RF propagation and coexistence analysis
- Technical stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
- Data analysis and architecture decision-making from flight/lab measurements
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SpaceX
SpaceX develops advanced spacecraft and satellite systems, including the Starshield government satellite constellation and Starfall re-entry cargo capsule for global delivery. The company is hiring engineers in avionics integration, software test automation, mechanical design, and hardware reliability to validate flight-critical systems and ensure mission success.
- Website
- spacex.com
Likely interview questions
- Walk us through how you would approach designing a Wi-Fi architecture for a large aircraft cabin with hundreds of simultaneous passengers.
- Describe your experience building and validating hardware-in-the-loop lab environments. What challenges did you encounter?