Spacecraft Flight Computing Senior Engineer

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity.

The Exploration Company is seeking a highly skilled Spacecraft Flight Computing Engineer with expertise in real-time, fault-tolerant computer systems running a RTOS and/or Linux. This role is focused on hands-on hardware and software development, with an emphasis on building systems resilient to radiation effects in space environments. The engineer will also apply knowledge of IP networking, including Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP), to enable deterministic, synchronized communication across spacecraft subsystems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain real-time embedded computing systems for spacecraft avionics.
• Apply fault-tolerant computing techniques to ensure reliable operation in the presence of radiation-induced upsets and anomalies.
• Develop and optimize our RTOS and Linux-based real-time operating environments, including kernel configuration, bootloader, device drivers, and system-level performance tuning.
• Perform hardware design tasks, including schematic capture, PCB layout, and component selection using Altium Designer, with emphasis on radiation-tolerant design practices.
• Develop, synthesize, and validate FPGA designs (VHDL/Verilog), incorporating mitigation strategies such as TMR, ECC, and scrubbing.
• Design, configure, and troubleshoot IP networking protocols, with focus on TSN for deterministic networking and PTP for precise time synchronization across spacecraft systems.
• Conduct system integration, hardware/software debugging, and fault injection testing to verify robustness under radiation and fault conditions.
• Collaborate closely with flight software, avionics, and systems engineering teams to define computing, networking, and interface requirements.
• Support mission operations through anomaly resolution and post-flight analysis of radiation-induced effects such as SEUs and TID.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Python for embedded software development and automation.
• Hands-on experience with real-time systems and Linux-based embedded computing.
• Practical expertise in fault-tolerant computing methods (redundancy, checkpoint/restart, graceful degradation).
• Knowledge of IP networking protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, routing, switching) with direct experience implementing TSN and PTP in real-time or mission-critical environments.
• Understanding of radiation effects on electronics and software, with experience implementing mitigation strategies at multiple system levels.
• Experience with system-level debugging tools and hardware/software integration.

What we would love to see from you

• Strong skills in writing, debugging and performance tuning low-level software for Linux and/or a RTOS, including the bootloader and device drivers.
• Strong skills in hardware design using Altium Designer and/or Cadence Allegro for schematics and PCB layout. Bonus points if you have experience with multi-gigabit SERDES interfaces like SGMII, PCI Express and Serial RapidIO.
• Solid background in FPGA development (VHDL/Verilog, synthesis, simulation, timing closure, hardware validation).
• Familiarity with modern multi-core ARM-based System-on-Chip hardware, including the internal architecture.
• Experience writing bare-metal code.
• Strong skills in writing low-level software for Linux and/or a RTOS, including the bootloader and device drivers.
• Exposure to radiation testing (heavy-ion, proton, or TID) and analysis.
• Background in hardware-software co-design for reliability and fault-tolerance.
• Prior hands-on experience supporting space missions.

What's special about TEC's Flight Computing team?

Our team is led by some the very best minds in the aerospace industry. We are experts in fault-tolerant spacecraft avionics and we’ve played significant roles within NASA/JPL’s avionics and robotics communities, SpaceX, Virgin Orbit and Google.

We’ve designed hardware and software for use on Earth, the International Space Station, in orbit around Earth's moon, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. As a hardcore engineering team, we don’t believe in half measures and we’re looking for more engineers just like us. If this sounds like where you belong, I’d like to hear from you.

• Direct involvement in building mission-critical spacecraft systems that operate in extreme environments.
• A collaborative engineering culture where hands-on innovation, resilience, and reliability drive success.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for technical growth.

Due to federal regulations (e.g., ITAR/EAR), applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (green card holders).

Why you should join us!

What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:

• We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind
• We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them
• We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible.

If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.