SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Loft Orbital is seeking a Backend Engineer to join the Mission Operations Services (MOS) team, which owns the backend services powering Cockpit, the company's mission control system. In this role, you will design and build microservices that enable Loft operators and customers to command, monitor, and automate the satellite fleet. You'll translate high-level operational intent into safe, reliable on-orbit operations.
Key responsibilities include designing and building backend tools for satellite operations (passes, autopilots, activities, day-to-day operations); handling commands and telemetry across multiple satellite buses and ground segment providers with emphasis on safety, robustness, and observability; writing production backend code in Python, owning services end-to-end from design through deployment and maintenance; collaborating with flight software, embedded systems, integration and test, and space infrastructure teams to integrate new satellite buses into Cockpit; supporting internal Cockpit users (operators, test engineers, solutions engineers) by improving APIs, workflows, and debugging tools; and participating in spacecraft operations through SatDevOps rotations, occasionally investigating anomalies and supporting real-time incident response.
You'll work across multiple satellite platforms in a hands-on role that combines building new systems with debugging live missions. The team values both shipping code and actually flying missions. Loft operates offices in San Francisco, Golden (Colorado), and Toulouse, with cross-office travel opportunities to collaborate across locations.
Loft Orbital, founded in 2017, provides governments, companies, and research institutions with end-to-end missions as a service, including Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on-orbit AI, and national security missions. The company has flown 30+ missions and is scaling rapidly with a fleet projected to reach 30 satellites by 2027.
REQUIREMENTS:
Must Haves:
- 4+ years of relevant backend software engineering experience in production environments
- Solid Python development experience in a production environment
- Experience with Docker and container-based development
- Hands-on experience with backend web development frameworks (Django, Flask, FastAPI, or similar)
- Proven API design skills (designing, documenting, and maintaining HTTP/GraphQL/REST-style APIs)
Nice to Haves:
- Experience with Django and/or GraphQL
- Strong database fundamentals and practical experience (Postgres, time-series databases)
- Exposure to Kubernetes in production
- Familiarity with InfluxDB, TimescaleDB, or other time-series systems
- Background in mission-critical, distributed, or real-time systems (space or otherwise)
