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Flight Software Engineer

Planet
San Francisco, California
Full Time
Posted January 14, 2026
$116k - $143k
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Application opens on company website

Job Description

The Flight Software Engineer at Planet is responsible for developing, maintaining, and optimizing embedded software for satellite systems, enabling reliable space operations and supporting the company's mission to provide Earth observation data through innovative space and data technologies.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define, develop, maintain, and optimize embedded flight software for satellites
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement software components and APIs
  • Support root cause analysis and develop code fixes for software and hardware issues
  • Design and deploy infrastructure to support satellite operations and ensure scalability
  • Work with operators and stakeholders to refine systems and improve satellite performance

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • At least 2 years of programming experience in professional, academic, FOSS community, or self-directed projects in at least one of the following languages and environments: C on Linux, Python on Linux/MacOS/Windows, C for embedded systems RTOS or bare-metal, Go, Rust.
  • Experience using version control systems such as Git, SVN, Mercurial.
  • Experience conducting root cause investigations and developing code changes to address defects in RTOS and Linux-based application code.
  • Ability to collaborate closely with senior engineers to design and implement software components which fulfill new satellite functionalities.
  • Ability to implement features in existing codebases to characterize and improve fleet performance and robustness.
  • Ability to define specifications, develop component APIs, and write functional tests and documentation in collaboration with senior engineers.
  • Experience with software development for RTOS and bare-metal microprocessor platforms, such as STM32.
  • Experience with Linux and Unix systems programming, including memory-mapped files, network protocol development, process memory management, etc.
  • Experience with developing software for FPGA softcores, RISC-V, or similar architectures.
  • Experience working on technically interdisciplinary teams or projects.
  • Experience managing work using ticket systems such as Jira, Github Issues, Gitlab Issues, or similar.
  • Knowledge of containerization technologies like Docker or LXC.
  • This position requires access to export-controlled information, and employment or hiring of a contractor is contingent upon the candidate's ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off
16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Home Office Reimbursement
Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
Equity
Commuter Benefits if local to an office
Discretionary short-term and long-term incentives bonus and equity
Salary range: $115,800 - $142,700 USD (for San Francisco location)

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