SENIOR MISSION OPERATIONS SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Continuum enables customers to launch satellite payloads, space vehicles, and new services faster, safer, and smarter with lower capital costs by removing the friction that comes with solving deeply complex space engineering problems compounded by outdated and disconnected tools and workflows. 

Built upon tools and technologies developed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Continuum streamlines the mission management process into a single unified system that supports the entire mission lifecycle from mission ideation and design to in-space operations. Continuum serves the growing space industry by enabling teams to focus on their core competencies and advance the potential of space exploration and commercialization. 

The Mission Operations team at Continuum is developing a Mission Control System (MCS) that we will use in Space Operations for our Mission Operations As A Service product. We will be integrating a combination of proprietary, and third-party software to build this system. This is a unique opportunity to build a mission operations system from the very beginning.  

LOCATION: Remote or at our headquarters in Pasadena (prefered)

You must be located in the United States while you perform the work.
Travel to our headquarters in Pasadena once a quarter for onsite team-building events will be required.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

We are looking for an experienced Dev Ops engineer with an interest in operating multiple space missions.  As a senior mission operations software engineer at Continuum, you will help us develop, and later operate, our Mission Operations Software Mission Control System (MCS).  

Initially, you will be helping us develop our MCS.  Once we have mission operations customers, (likely after the first year) your time will be shared between day-to-day mission operations and mission operations software development.  

Example Mission Operations Duties:

  • Planning and executing maintenance activities
  • Anomaly investigation and recovery
  • Operations procedure development
  • Example Mission Software Development Duties:
  • Integration and adaptation of several open-source mission operations tools into a scalable cloud-based multi-fleet operations system.
  • Implementing the scalable architecture from the above system with the AWS Cloud Development Kit.
  • Creation of an example “Firesat” mission model and integration with an open-source scheduling tool.
  • Development and testing of satellite command scripts
  • Automation of mission operations tasks including, automation of maintenance tasks and validation, and automation of anomaly identification and recovery

SKILLS / EXPERIENCE:

Required:

  • DevOps Experience
  • Cloud Architecture 
  • Interest in space
  • Proficiency in python
  • Proficiency with Docker
  • Experience building dockerized microservices 
  • Experience setting up a Python testing framework such as pytest.
  • Experience building APIs (preferably with Swagger UIs)
  • Experience setting up CI/CD integration (With GitHub Actions or Jenkins)
  • Experience building a codebase with a high percentage unit-test coverage

Preferred:

  • (Space) mission software development
  • Experience with satellite communication packet protocols
  • Working knowledge of Java
  • Experience implementing cloud architectures with AWS CDK.
  • Experience with Atlassian Suite Products including Jira and Confluence

Continuum is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Continuum 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.

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.