Satellite Operations Engineer

About Capella

Capella, an IonQ company, spans national security, advanced sensing, and next-generation compute to deliver secure, mission-ready intelligence. Capella’s culture is built on collaboration, rigorous engineering, and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthen global stability and security. Team members work side-by-side with some of the most innovative minds in space systems, quantum-enabled technologies, and mission-critical operations.

Capella values curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to tackle hard problems with precision and creativity. Capella welcomes and encourages applicants whose perspectives are historically underrepresented in technology, national security, and aerospace. No prior space experience is required. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capella’s ability to innovate and deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide.

Location: This role is based at our Louisville, CO office with the option to work a few days a week remotely.

Travel: Up to 5%

Job ID: 1637

The Role

Capella is looking for a Satellite Operations Engineer to join our close-knit team of spacecraft operators! In this role, you will own the full operational life-cycle: from designing mission operations and executing high-stakes commissioning campaigns, to maintaining fleet health and leading on-orbit anomaly response.

As a vital member of our Satellite Operations Team, you will drive the reliability and autonomy of our expanding SAR constellation as well as upcoming special projects and demonstrations. If you thrive on solving complex problems in a fast-paced environment and want to have a direct hand in the success of a growing fleet, we want you at Capella.

This is a hybrid role located in Louisville, CO.

Responsibilities

• Lead the launch and commissioning of new satellites for autonomous operations
• Perform spacecraft analysis, maintenance, and anomaly response
• Develop and automate operational procedures and tools
• Test and deploy satellite software updates
• Support the execution of special projects and demonstrations
• Participate in a team rotation to be the on-call first responder for spacecraft anomalies
• Interface with other teams to develop and maintain a highly autonomous spacecraft operations system

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field
• 2+ years of relevant work experience
• Proficiency in Python for data analysis and automation

• Familiarity with all of the following disciplines and significant experience with at least one:

  • o Astrodynamics
  • o Guidance, Navigation, and Control
  • o Electrical Engineering
  • o Communications Systems
  • o Thermal Engineering
  • o Embedded Software
  • o Propulsion

• Experience with Git or other version control systems

Soft Skills

• Strong ability to communicate and collaborate within a team environment
• Comfortable dealing with unknowns, quantifying risk, addressing uncertainty, and handling the pressure of a real-time operating environment
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills

Required Qualification

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Capella Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here.

Compensation

The approximate base salary range for this position is $110,000 - $145,000. The final job level and annual salary will be determined based on the education, qualification, knowledge, skills, ability, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location and calibrated against relevant market data and internal team equity. Benefits listed in this posting may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Capella Space.