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Satellite Flight Software Engineer III - TeraWave Verified today

Blue Origin · 3 Locations · Software · first seen 2026-09-29
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About the Role

Blue Origin is building TeraWave, a multi-orbit satellite communications network delivering symmetrical data speeds up to 6 Tbps globally. As a Satellite Flight Software Engineer III, you will design, develop, and verify flight software applications for the TeraWave constellation's command and data handling (C&DH) subsystem.

What You'll Do

  • Design, develop, and implement C&DH flight software including command routing, onboard data management, telemetry generation, and subsystem control
  • Develop telecommand and telemetry processing software for uplink validation, command scheduling and execution, and health data collection
  • Create spacecraft time management software with onboard time correlation, GPS/GNSS synchronization, and precision timing distribution
  • Build and maintain software interfaces between C&DH and other spacecraft subsystems for safe and secure operations
  • Collaborate with hardware, systems, and autonomy engineers to define requirements, interfaces, and behavioral boundaries
  • Develop and integrate simulation environments for testing across nominal and off-nominal scenarios
  • Participate in software architecture reviews, design reviews, and systems engineering trade studies
  • Support software integration and verification 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 technical team development

Required Experience and Skills

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field
  • 6 or more years in spacecraft flight software or embedded software development
  • Strong programming in C, C++, and Python
  • Object-oriented design and software layering for modularity and reuse
  • Real-time operating systems (RTOS) such as Linux, QNX, VxWorks, RTEMS or equivalent
  • Spacecraft avionics development in C&DH, telecommand and telemetry, or hardware I/O management
  • CCSDS standards for spacecraft telecommand and telemetry processing
  • Cybersecurity principles for space systems including secure boot, command authentication, and encrypted communications
  • Software unit testing frameworks such as Google Test for embedded C/C++
  • Inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms including sockets, shared memory, message queues, and publish-subscribe middleware
  • Cross-compilation toolchains and embedded Linux build systems such as CMake, Make, Yocto, or Buildroot
  • Software lifecycle, configuration management (Git), CI/CD, and containerized environments
  • Verification and validation practices for mission-critical embedded systems
  • Communication protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP, CAN, I2C, SPI, and RS-422/485
  • Static analysis tools and flight software coding standards such as MISRA C/C++

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
  • On-orbit spacecraft operations or satellite constellation management experience
  • Over-the-air (OTA) software updates
  • Onboard time management, precision timing interfaces, or GPS-disciplined time synchronization
  • NASA cFS, F Prime, or similar flight software frameworks
  • Spacecraft FDIR and autonomy software components and their interfaces
  • Radiation effects on electronics and software-based mitigation techniques

Compensation and Location

Base pay range varies by location:

  • California: $164,652.00 - $230,512.80
  • Colorado: $150,931.00 - $211,303.05
  • Washington: $164,652.00 - $230,512.80

Other site ranges may differ.

Employment Requirements

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Blue's Standard Background Check is required for all positions.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance
  • Paid parental leave
  • Short and long-term disability
  • 401(k) with company match up to 5%
  • Education Support Program
  • Stock options for regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
  • Paid time off up to four weeks per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays
  • Bonus eligibility dependent on role type and job level