Senior Flight Software Engineer Interplanetary Sciences Program

About the Team: 

The Interplanetary Sciences Program was established to expand access to scientific exploration across our solar system. Its mission is to make planetary research faster more affordable and more capable than ever before by rethinking how science missions are designed built and operated. The program aims to enable scientists to send instruments to distant worlds without decades of development or prohibitive costs. By creating a sustainable model for interplanetary exploration we are transforming space science from an occasional event into a continuous process of discovery that accelerates knowledge broadens participation and inspires the next generation of explorers.

About the Role:

As a Senior Flight Software Engineer within the Interplanetary Sciences Program at Relativity Space you will take ownership of the design development and deployment of flight-critical software that governs how our spacecraft behaves and operates from concept through flight. 

You will be responsible for building robust reliable embedded software that enables autonomous deep-space missions and real-time spacecraft control. This role requires an engineer who thrives on full-system ownership moves fluidly between architecture and implementation and brings rigorous engineering discipline to every phase of development from requirements capture to operational flight support. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Design implement and test flight software for spacecraft command control and autonomy across all mission phases
• Own full lifecycle software development: requirements capture architecture design implementation integration test and flight operations support
• Collaborate with avionics GNC propulsion and mission operations teams to ensure seamless integration between software and spacecraft hardware
• Develop and execute verification and validation (V&V) processes to ensure flight safety reliability and mission success
• Support on-vehicle and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing debugging and mission simulations

About You:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science Aerospace Engineering Electrical Engineering or a related technical field
• 5+ years of experience developing testing and delivering embedded or real-time flight software
• Strong proficiency in C++ and solid understanding of memory management concurrency and embedded systems design 
• Experience with RTOS or Linux-based embedded development software integration and system-level testing 
• Proven ability to scope open-ended problems execute autonomously and deliver high-quality flight-ready software 
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative fast-paced team environment demonstrating adaptability and problem-solving skills 

Nice to haves but not required:  

• Experience developing software for spaceflight launch vehicles or planetary spacecraft 
• Familiarity with deep-space communication protocols and autonomy frameworks 
• Experience with Python or Rust for tooling testing or simulation support 
• Background in hardware-in-the-loop testing embedded networking or fault-tolerant system design 
• Knowledge of NASA or other aerospace software development and verification standards applied in a modern new-space context 

What We Do

Relativity Space is on a mission to better connect humanity to space and the universe beyond our planet. Our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket Terran R will deliver customer payloads to orbit meeting the growing demand for launch capacity. But that’s just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock new opportunities to advance science exploration and innovation pioneering progress that reaches beyond the known.

Why Work With Us

Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy ownership and impact exist at every level. Here you're not just executing tasks; you're solving problems that haven’t been solved before helping develop a rocket a factory and a business from the ground up.

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