SpaceX
Software Engineer, Collision Avoidance (Starshield)
About this role
SpaceX is seeking a Software Engineer for its Starshield collision avoidance systems to build mission-critical software that manages satellite constellations in low-earth orbit. You'll develop distributed systems for payload management, orbital prediction, and collision avoidance while supporting the complete lifecycle from design through testing and deployment.
What you'll do
- Develop reliable and available software systems for managing thousands of satellites in low-earth orbit
- Build collision avoidance and orbital prediction tools for large spacecraft constellations
- Create prototypes to validate design concepts and quantify technical constraints
- Develop analysis pipelines to verify system performance across the satellite fleet
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to plan and organize product development
- Own software from conception through prototyping, development, testing, and production support
What they're looking for
- Python, C++, or similar object-oriented programming languages
- Distributed systems and large-scale system design
- Containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Version control, CI/CD, testing, and deployment practices
- Relational databases (PostgreSQL, CockroachDB)
- Performance profiling and optimization
- Mathematics and physics fundamentals
- Satellite or spacecraft systems knowledge
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
- 401(k) retirement plan with company matching potential
- 3 weeks paid vacation plus 10+ paid holidays annually
- Short and long-term disability insurance and life insurance
- Paid parental leave and Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- 10% clearance differential (up to $20,000 annually) for active clearance holders
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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
- Describe your experience building and maintaining distributed systems at scale—what were the key challenges and how did you address them?
- Tell us about a time you owned a software project end-to-end, from design to production. What did you learn?