Spacecraft Engineer Intern (Flight Software)

Spacecraft Engineer Intern (Flight Software)

Are you obsessed with the intersection of code and hardware? Do you want to see your algorithms execute in orbit? Do you thrive on solving complex problems in real-time, high-reliability environments? Join our team as a Spacecraft Engineer Intern and help us build the foundational software for our next generation of spacecraft.

Play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and deploying the critical software that enables our spacecraft to perform their missions. If you're an expert in F-prime, real-time operating systems, and building robust embedded solutions, we want to talk to you!

What You'll Do

As a Spacecraft Engineer Intern, you'll assist in the development, testing, and deployment of our spacecraft's FSW stack. You will work closely with senior mentors to support:

• Flight Software: Design and implement flight software components within NASA/JPL's open-source F-prime framework, focusing on resource-constrained embedded systems.
• Hardware Interfaces: Write and debug software that talks directly to hardware (sensors, actuators, radios) across protocols like I2C, SPI, UART, and Ethernet.
• Build Systems: Help maintain and extend our CMake build systems to ensure a smooth development pipeline.
• Verification & Testing: Develop unit tests and support Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testing to ensure our code survives the harsh environment of space.
• Documentation: Assist in authoring Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and technical design notes, essential for mission success.
• Collaborate: Work across disciplines with Avionics and Mission Ops to troubleshoot complex hardware/software interactions.
• Optional: Researching, prototyping, and integrating Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms into flight software, optimizing for real-time performance and resource efficiency.

What You'll Bring

Minimum Qualifications

• Academic Path: Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related STEM field.
• C++ Proficiency: Strong foundational knowledge of C/C++ in an embedded context (you should know your way around pointers and memory management).
• Embedded Curiosity: Prior experience (via internships or high-level student projects) with bare-metal programming or an RTOS.
• Linux/Git: Comfortable working in an Ubuntu/Linux environment and using Git for version control.
• Problem Solver: A "builder" mindset—you enjoy debugging at the register level as much as you do writing high-level logic.
• Communication: Ability to explain a technical bug and your proposed fix clearly to the team.
• Physical: Ability to lift/carry up to 40 lbs (for moving test rigs and hardware benches).

Preferred Skills and Experience

• F' Familiarity: Previous exposure to the F-prime framework or similar component-based architectures.
• Networking: Understanding of the OSI model and basic networking protocols.
• Testing Frameworks: Experience with GTest, PyTest, or CI/CD pipelines.
• Hardware Tools: Familiarity with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or multimeters for debugging.
• AI/ML: An interest in or exposure to deploying Machine Learning models on edge devices.

Pay Range

• Salary range: $100,000 - $120,000 / per year.
• This role is on-site in Hawthorne, CA

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO
• Catering provided on-site everyday.