Mission Software Architect

Mantis Space is a venture-backed aerospace company pioneering breakthrough technologies to build the first energy infrastructure in space. Headquartered in New Mexico—the cornerstone of U.S. defense R&D and a growing hub of the nation’s Space Valley—we are building from the ground up to accelerate the next generation of satellite and orbital energy infrastructure.

Our veteran-led team brings decades of leadership across space, defense, and advanced R&D, with experience at Google, Meta, AeroVironment/BlueHalo, Terran Orbital, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and Apple. With deep expertise in optics, photonics, and space systems, we are designing and delivering the infrastructure that will power the future of orbital energy and advanced aerospace operations.

Why Join Us:

• Build from the ground up: Directly shape our Albuquerque lab

and R&D test environment.

• Make an impact: Your systems will enable critical research in

optics, lasers, and energy systems for space.

• Grow with us: Work alongside leading engineers, operators, and

investors in a mission-driven environment.

• Competitive pay, full benefits, and equity in a company

shaping the future of energy and space.

About the Role:

In this role, you will define the mission software architecture, support processor and

communication bus selection, and develop interfaces across spacecraft payload, controls, and

high-power subsystems. You will work closely with systems, electrical, controls, optical, and

hardware engineers to ensure software and firmware support mission objectives and timing-

critical operations.

Key responsibilities

• Define and maintain the mission software and firmware architecture.

• Support processor and communication bus selection for routing data between sensors,

• processors, payloads, and actuators.

• Develop software and firmware interfaces for spacecraft payloads and distributed control

• systems.

• Implement mission management and command-and-control software.

• Support the execution of precision pointing and control algorithms.

• Develop interfaces with high-power electronics and high-power laser subsystems.

• Design software for deterministic, timing-critical operations.

• Develop and integrate software or firmware that controls gimbals, fast steering mirrors,

• inertial measurement units, cameras, photodetectors, and related components.

• Define subsystem interfaces, data flows, timing requirements, and fault-management

• approaches.

• Support integration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, verification, and system-level

• troubleshooting.

• Document software architecture, interfaces, design decisions, and verification requirements.

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams throughout the system lifecycle.

Requirements

• Experience architecting embedded, real-time, or flight software for aerospace, defense,

• robotics, or other complex systems.

• Strong experience developing software or firmware that interfaces directly with sensors,

• actuators, and electronic hardware.

• Experience with processor architectures, communication buses, and distributed control

• systems.

• Knowledge of deterministic timing, real-time operating systems, and timing-critical

• applications.

• Proficiency in embedded programming languages such as C or C++.

• Strong systems-thinking, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Ability to work onsite in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

• Experience with spacecraft flight software, precision pointing systems, optical payloads, FPGA

• interfaces, or high-power laser systems is preferred.

Benefits

Full range of competitive benefits including 100% employer paid health insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement plan, and unlimited PTO