About Lodestar

Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product, MITHRIL, is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into a single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.

About the Job

We seek a talented Embedded Systems Engineer to design, develop, and deploy software for space applications. If you have a solid background in modern C++ development, embedded Linux experience, and want to play a critical role in advancing autonomy for space applications, we want to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

• Design and take ownership of core flight software for advanced space payloads and mission-critical systems.
• Be involved in low level software development including device drivers and board bring-up.
• Develop updatable, fault-tolerant software to support complex autonomous operations in orbit.
• Prototype and validate key system concepts to de-risk development and establish technical feasibility and performance bounds.
• Build toward a scalable, modular, and reusable software stack that enables rapid iteration and future mission extensibility.
• Collaborate closely with hardware and AI/ML teams to enable seamless integration.
• Drive continuous improvement through iterative testing, data-driven feedback loops, and system-level refinement.

Qualifications

• BEng/MEng in Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• Strong proficiency in developing modern C++ for Linux.
• Strong experience with SoC platforms (such as Nvidia Jetsons) or other similar embedded platforms
• Strong communicator and self-starter; able to work independently and in a collaborative team.
• Demonstrated skills in debugging and performance characterisation.
• Experience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelines.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Good understanding of communication protocols.
• Familiarity with containerisation tools (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes) and OTA updates.
• Experience with BSP generation, real-time kernel configuration, build and deployment processes.
• Background with the space industry.
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven experience in system integration and working with multidisciplinary teams.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary (based on experience)
• Equity pool options
• Vibrant, open-plan office in London
• 28 Days Annual Leave
• Private Medical Insurance
• Be part of a scrappy, dynamic, multidisciplinary, collaborative crew 🏴‍☠️

Important Information:

For security reasons background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations. 

Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality.  For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.

About Lodestar

Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product MITHRIL is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.

About the Job

At Lodestar, as a Software Engineer - Localization, State Estimation & Prediction, you’ll be leading the development of our state estimation and prediction models at the core of Lodestar’s flagship product, MITHRIL. You’ll be focusing on researching and developing algorithms that fuse probabilistic estimation with machine learning to track targets, predict trajectories and assess intent.

We proudly have an "extreme ownership" oriented engineering culture. 

What You’ll Do

• Design and implement Lodestar’s core state estimation and prediction architecture for autonomous spacecraft operations
• Research and implement novel estimation and prediction algorithms - everything from lit. review, through training and tuning, to optimisation and deployment
• Develop classical and neural estimators to track the current state and trajectory of multiple dynamic targets in real time
• Create neural models to forecast future trajectories and behavioral patterns of targets
• Implement intent inference models to identify actions and dynamically rank threat levels
• Integrate state estimation and prediction models into mission simulation environments and autonomy decision systems
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including, perception, and on-board autonomy to ensure prediction fidelity, robustness, and scalability across missions

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, a related field, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of distinguished industry experience in state estimation, aerospace, robotics, or a related field
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python
• Demonstrated experience with probabilistic state estimation (Kalman filters, particle filters, Bayesian inference)
• Experience with deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) for sequence modeling (seq2seq, RNNs, LSTMs, Transformers)
• Familiarity with trajectory modeling, multi-body dynamics, or orbital mechanics

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Track record implementing state estimation pipelines in real-time or safety-critical systems
• Experience deploying sequence-to-sequence models for forecasting in dynamic environments
• Familiarity with sensor fusion techniques (e.g., combining radar, optical, and inertial data)
• Proficiency with GPU acceleration (CUDA, TensorRT) for neural network training and inference
• Experience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelines
• Comfortable with containerization tools such as Docker and Kubernetes
• Familiarity with real-time systems, multi-threading, and performance optimization
• Strong understanding of networking and communication protocols for distributed autonomy systems

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay Range:
  • (E1) Junior Software Engineer: $120,000 - $140,000 / year
  • (E2) Software Engineer: $135,000 - $170,000 / year
  • (E3) Senior Software Engineer: Competitive
• Meaningful equity incentives as part of our employee option pool
• Flexible PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• LA or San Francisco

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options , and access to medical, vision and dental coverage, as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Lodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

About Lodestar

Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product, MITHRIL, is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.

About the Job

At Lodestar, as a Software Engineer - On-board Autonomy, you’ll be developing the decision-making systems at the heart of Lodestar’s autonomy suite. You’ll focus on creating algorithms that evaluate mission context, system capabilities, and environmental conditions to recommend and execute optimal actions. These models adapt dynamically to changing conditions, enabling real-time autonomous decision-making even in communications-limited or uncertain environments. Your work will bridge perception, prediction, and control, allowing spacecraft to operate intelligently, efficiently, and resiliently across complex mission scenarios.

We proudly have an "extreme ownership" oriented engineering culture. 

What You’ll Do

• Design and implement on-board decision-making models that recommend and adapt strategies in real time
• Develop autonomous decision algorithms that integrate information from perception, state estimation, and intent prediction models to execute mission objectives
• Research and implement ML models for decision making - everything from lit. review, through training, to deployment
• Implement decision models that adapt dynamically to changing mission context, environmental conditions, and system status
• Develop frameworks for continuous re-evaluation of active strategies to ensure resilient and adaptive behavior under uncertainty
• Support real-time autonomy in communications-limited or time-critical scenarios
• Build and maintain autonomy infrastructure, testing frameworks, and deployment pipelines for space missions

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, a related field, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of distinguished industry experience in autonomy, decision-making, or control systems for aerospace/robotics
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python and DL frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
• Demonstrated experience with machine learning applied to decision-making or control problems
• Track record with optimal control, planning, or reinforcement learning in real-time systems
• Familiarity with multi-agent decision-making or planning under uncertainty

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Track record implementing autonomy applications in real-time or safety-critical environments
• Experience integrating perception and prediction outputs into decision frameworks
• Familiarity with resource-aware strategy selection and optimization under uncertainty
• Background in reinforcement learning, hierarchical planning, or adaptive control
• Experience with distributed training and cloud-based scaling of ML models (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
• Experience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelines
• Comfortable with containerization tools such as Docker and Kubernetes
• Familiarity with real-time systems, multi-threading, and performance optimization
• Strong understanding of distributed autonomy, networking, and communication protocols

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay Range:
  • (E1) Junior Software Engineer: $120,000 - $145,000 / year
  • (E2) Software Engineer: $140,000 - $180,000 / year
  • (E3) Senior Software Engineer: Competitive
• Meaningful equity incentives as part of our employee option pool
• Flexible PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• LA or San Francisco

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options , and access to medical, vision and dental coverage, as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Lodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

About Lodestar

Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product MITHRIL is the critical hardware & software necessary to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL as a single platform, we deliver a fully autonomous end-to-end protection spacecraft service.

About the Job

As a Software Engineer - Perception at Lodestar, you’ll be joining the perception and machine vision teams to rapidly grow our vision and perception models at MITHRIL’s center. You’ll focus on researching and building algorithms to detect, classify and understand unknown space targets in real-time. By combining computer vision, image processing and machine learning, you’ll develop custom models - providing the foundation for autonomous decision-making in complex and uncertain space environments.

We proudly have an "extreme ownership" oriented engineering culture. 

What You’ll Do

• Scoping architecture for the perception system core to Lodestar’s autonomy software suite
• Research and adapt novel perception algorithms - everything from lit. review, through training and evaluation, to optimisation and deployment
• Design, develop ML algorithms from the ground up, in addition to build on and optimizing our existing models for edge computing
• Further develop our robust methods for predicting relative pose of dynamic space targets in harsh and unpredictable visual environments
• Integrate perception models into mission simulation environments and real-time autonomy pipelines
• Contribute to the design of realistic sensor models and digital twins to improve perception fidelity in mission scenarios
• Own perception tooling, model training infrastructure, and evaluation frameworks for ongoing development and deployment
• Collaborate across autonomy, estimation, and mission software teams to ensure perception fidelity, performance, and scalability

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in, AI/ML, Computer Science, Robotics, a related field, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of distinguished industry experience in Machine Learning, robotics, computer vision, or a related field
• Excellent software engineering skills in C++ and Python
• Strong DNN/ML background and experience in CV and image processing libraries (OpenCV, CUDA-accelerated vision, PCL)
• Broad understanding of modern perception systems and their architecture
• Experience developing and deploying ML models to real-time systems

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience processing sensor measurements from a variety of sensors including RADAR, electro-optical sensors, RF sensors, or LIDAR
• Familiarity with image processing techniques (e.g., feature extraction, segmentation, filtering, stereo matching) to support 3D reconstruction and target classification
• Track record optimizing neural networks and geometric algorithms using CUDA kernels, TensorRT, or other GPU acceleration frameworks
• Experience with distributed training and cloud-based scaling of ML models (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
• Experience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelines
• Comfortable with containerization tools such as Docker and Kubernetes
• Strong understanding of networking and communication protocols for distributed autonomy systems

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay Range:
  • (E1) Junior Software Engineer: $115,000 - $140,000 / year
  • (E2) Software Engineer: $140,000 - $180,000 / year
  • (E3) Senior Software Engineer: Competitive
• Meaningful equity incentives as part of our employee option pool
• Flexible PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Los Angeles or San Francisco

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options , and access to medical, vision and dental coverage, as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Lodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

About Lodestar

Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product, MITHRIL, is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.

What We’re Looking For

We’re always looking for highly motivated individuals to join our Team. If you want to play a critical role in advancing space technology, we want to hear from you!

Compensation & Benefits

• Equity pool options
• Flexible PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Los Angeles / San Francisco

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options , and access to medical, vision and dental coverage, as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Lodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.