Flight Software Engineering Intern

Location: This role will be based onsite at our office in San Francisco California office.
Travel:Up to 5%
Job ID: 534

About Capella

Capella anIonQcompany spans national security advanced sensing and next-generation compute to deliver secure mission-ready intelligence. Capellas culture is built on collaboration rigorous engineering and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthens 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. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capellas ability to innovate and to deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide.

What Makes Capella Unique

Capella anIonQcompany spans national security advanced sensing and next-generation compute to deliver secure mission-ready intelligence. Capellas culture is built on collaboration rigorous engineering and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthens 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. No prior space experience is. 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. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capellas ability to innovate and to deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide.

Capella Internship Program

Capellas 10-week in-person internship program (June 8August 14 2026) gives students hands-on experience in spacecraft development operations and geospatial technology. Interns work directly on meaningful projects while building technical skills industry insight and professional connections. The program includes mentorship team engagement and social events that support a balanced and collaborative experience. A stipend is provided to help with living expenses.

The Role

As an intern on the Flight Software team you will assist in writing the software that runs our satellite fleet in space! You will interact daily with other software engineers FPGA developers electrical engineers and various other subsystem owners to develop maintain and implement new features for the spacecraft software.

Responsibilities

• Design develop and maintain flight software for satellite systems.
• Collaborate with EE FPGA and ground software engineers
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests
• Troubleshoot and resolve software issues

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science or a related field and available to work full time for 10 weeks outside of the university academic term.
• In their penultimate academic year or returning to a degree program after completion of the internship.
• Experience developing embedded software and low-level device drivers
• Familiarity with embedded Linux Linux kernel modules and standard Linux tools.
• Strong knowledge of programming compiled (C C) and scripted (Python shell script etc.) languages.
• Good communication skills and strong team collaboration skills
• 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 ITARhere.

Compensation

• This internship will be a 40-hour a week commitment at the pay of $39per hour. An allowance will also be provided to support living costs throughout the program.

Equal Opportunity Statement

AtIonQ we believe in fair treatment access opportunity and advancement for all and we strive toidentifyandeliminatebarriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy productivity and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed respected supported and valued.

We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race religion ancestry physical and/or mental disability medical condition genetic information marital status sex gender gender identity gender expression transgender status age sexual orientation military or veteran status or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

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