Lodestar
Software Engineer - Localization, State Estimation & Prediction San Francisco, U
Lodestar, San Francisco, California, United States, 94199
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
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 ITARhere .
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
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.
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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
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 ITARhere .
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
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.
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