Space Systems Engineer, Space Operations

The Space Operations team is crucial to Planet’s success, responsible for maintaining and optimizing the health and productivity of the world’s largest Earth Observation satellite constellation. Our team spans North America and Berlin. Given the scale of our fleet, automation is at the heart of our operations. You’ll develop and maintain critical software, transforming large datasets into actionable metrics.

As a Space Systems Engineer, you’ll support daily satellite operations, analyze data, triage and resolve anomalies, run on-orbit experiments, test and deploy software both on the ground and in orbit, and commission satellites. You’ll work closely with hardware and software experts across teams to debug anomalies, enhance or create services, and provide operational insights to shape our next-generation satellites.

We are looking for a data-driven self-starter with effective communication skills that collaborates well within a technical team and adapts quickly to changing tasks and contexts.

Impact You’ll Own:

• Develop and maintain real-time, mission-critical software solutions for satellite operations
• Conduct daily fleet checks, debug on-orbit satellite anomalies, and support On-Call shifts
• Test and deploy flight software upgrades and perform on-orbit experiments
• Create and maintain operational procedures
• Analyze data to identify issues and inefficiencies in the full stack of services
• Drive improvements to fleet capacity and productivity through process enhancements
• Provide feedback to launch, manufacturing, and spacecraft engineering teams based on on-orbit performance, technical demonstrations, and forecasting models
• Shape operational strategies for next-generation spacecraft

• 2+ years of relevant work experience
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or equivalent experience
• Proficiency in software development, particularly in Python or similar languages
• Data-driven mindset with experience in statistical analysis
• Familiarity with the space environment and its challenges
• Proactive approach to engineering and problem-solving
• Effective interpersonal and collaboration skills within a technical team
• Professional working proficiency in English, the language of the company, * Hands-on experience operating spacecraft or remote systems
• Experience and understanding of spacecraft propulsion and guidance, navigation, and control systems
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing infrastructures
• Experience with Agile software development
• Experience in DevOps tools and practices (e.g., Git, GitLab, Docker, Jenkins, Bash, Linux, CI/CD, Sentry, Datadog)
• Familiarity with automation and optimization tools
• Contributions to open-source software projects