Software Engineer, Flight Dynamics

Software Engineer, Flight Dynamics

San Jose, CA

About the Role

Muon seeks a Flight Dynamics Software Engineer to join our Mission Planning Platform team. This role focuses on orbit determination and flight dynamics software development for Muon's constellation of LEO Earth-observation satellites. You will work closely with our flight dynamics lead to build, maintain, and operate the ground systems that ensure we know exactly where our satellites are, where they need to be, and plan where they all need to go - with direct impact on mission success.

Responsibilities

• Operate and evolve Muon's orbit determination (OD) pipeline, fusing tracking data with dynamical models to estimate and predict spacecraft state
• Investigate and resolve OD anomalies as part of continuous operational support
• Support orbit propagation and prediction for mission planning and collision avoidance
• Develop and maintain automation for routine flight dynamics workflows, building toward autonomous constellation operations
• Contribute to the development of Muon's flight dynamics software (MuFDS)
• Collaborate with systems and operations teams to support maneuver planning and execution as needed

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, physics, applied math, or related field
• 2+ years of experience in orbit determination or general flight dynamics
• Software development experience in C++ and Python
• Understanding of orbit determination theory and methods (batch least squares, statistical filtering approaches, etc.)
• Familiarity with modern software engineering practices (version control, code review, automated testing)
• Ability to translate first-principles analysis into production-level code
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities

Nice-to-Have

• Experience with spacecraft operations or mission operations environments
• Familiarity with astrodynamics data formats (TLEs, OEMs, ephemeris formats)
• Experience with propulsion planning or maneuver design for LEO satellites
• Experience with scheduling or constrained optimization problems (e.g., pass scheduling, contact planning)
• Experience with cloud-based services or ground software systems
• Comfortable working in Linux-based development environments

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as 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, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.