Software Engineer: State Estimation & Prediction

7/1/26, 1:24 PM Job Application for Software Engineer: State Estimation & Prediction at Lodestar

Software Engineer: State Estimation & Prediction

Los Angeles, US

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: 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 https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/lodestarspace/jobs/4661398101 1/37/1/26, 1:24 PM Job Application for Software Engineer: State Estimation & Prediction at Lodestar 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

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. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation & Benefits

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

Comprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/lodestarspace/jobs/4661398101 2/37/1/26, 1:24 PM Job Application for Software Engineer: State Estimation & Prediction at Lodestar 401(k) retirement plan with company match https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/lodestarspace/jobs/4661398101 3/3