Senior Flight Software Engineer - Embedded Linux Verified today
The Mission
Starpath is building technology to enable human expansion into the Solar System. We are developing a complete end-to-end system for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon and Mars. We plan to launch autonomous rovers to the Moon that will gather icy regolith from permanently-shadowed regions of craters near the Lunar South Pole and deliver that regolith to an automated plant that can process it into liquid oxygen, which will be used to refuel landers for their return flights to Earth.
The Role
We're building a rover to explore the Lunar South Pole. We need an embedded Linux expert to own the systems software for our NVIDIA Orin-based Autonomy Computer. This position requires deep experience working with the Linux kernel, device tree, boot chain, device drivers, and board support packages for ARM platforms. Previous experience with space flight software is strongly preferred.
As the owner of the Linux platform software for the Autonomy Computer, you will work closely with experts in robotics, autonomy, teleoperation, and network communications as well as the embedded software engineers developing the microcontroller-based Control Computer. The platform software will provide the foundation for the autonomy and teleoperation software that directs the low-level control system. This platform must support rapid development of autonomy capabilities with rover prototypes, but also be sufficiently reliable and fault-tolerant to be launched as flight software on our Moon mission.
Responsibilities
- Own the rover's Linux platform layer - kernel, drivers, BSP, and boot chain - and be expert on the Autonomy Computer's systems software
- Own and extend the current BSP, including device tree and pin muxing
- Own the interface software for CAN, RS-485, USB, CSI, and Ethernet devices, including sensors, cameras, and motor controllers
- Own the over-the-air software update system
- Design robust systems for fault detection, identification, and recovery
- Work closely with software engineers developing autonomy and control software and electrical engineers designing avionics hardware
Required Qualifications
- Deep hands-on experience with the Linux kernel and boot chain
- Experience authoring and debugging device trees and pin muxing for embedded ARM platforms
- Experience with serial, CAN, and Ethernet device drivers
- 5+ years experience with embedded Linux at the kernel/driver/BSP level
- 5+ years experience programming in C
- Evidence of exceptional engineering ability
- Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field OR demonstrated excellence at coding via significant professional experience
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience developing space flight software (strong preference)
- Experience developing software to control real robots, autonomous vehicles, or remotely-controlled vehicles
- Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platform
- Experience with ZFS
- Experience developing software that is tolerant to radiation effects (SEEs)
- Track record of delivering highly reliable software on a tight schedule
Position Details
- Location: Hawthorne, CA
- Employment Type: Full-time
- Department: Starmine
- Travel: Occasional
US Person Requirement
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (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.