Software Engineer, Starlink Network
- Salary
- $135,000 - $155,000 per year
- Level
- Mid
Not stated in the posting: work type, visa.
Open. First seen 20 March 2026.
About the role
SpaceX's standard text
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
SOFTWARE ENGINEER, STARLINK NETWORK
At SpaceX we’re leveraging our experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to millions of users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together.
We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact and are looking for best-in-class engineers to help maximize Starlink’s utility for communities and businesses around the globe.
As a Software Engineer on the Starlink program, you will be solving challenges that improve our ability to fully utilize the hardware we have deployed. Our goal is to provide customers with the best possible satellite internet experience, often providing under-served communities with affordable, life-changing broadband internet access.
Our software engineers are responsible for the complete lifecycle of the software they create, including development, testing, and support. We expect our engineers to close the feedback loop between software design and real-world performance. In this role, your software will have a meaningful and measurable impact on the world.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop highly reliable, real-time software designed to run on the gateways, satellites, user terminals, and switches that make up our low latency, high capacity satellite-based global network.
- Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews.
- Develop prototypes and manage experiments to prove out key design concepts.
- Develop tools for software development and deployment, data analysis and visualization, and test execution across multiple environments, including virtualized hardware environments, real hardware-in-the-loop simulations, and on-orbit testing.
- Deploy reliable software, test execution, and data analysis as part of a continuous integration and release system.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or science discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree (internship experience is applicable).
- Development experience in C, C++, or assembly.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Strong professional experience writing C, C++ or assembly in a production environment.
- Developed, debugged and deployed software that has been used in real world applications/projects.
- Knowledgeable in real-time rendering, game engine development, physics simulation, or other real-time, resource-constrained, high-performance computing.
- Creative approach to problem solving, exceptional analytical skills and engineering fundamentals.
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
- Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.
- Experience with networking protocols (UDP, TCP/IP, etc) and distributed systems.
- Experience in security issues associated with distributed systems and internet services.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Software Engineer/Level I: $135,000.00 - $155,000.00/per year
Software Engineer/Level II: $155,000.00 - $185,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k)-retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks.
You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX's standard text
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX 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.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
What this role asks for
Particular to this role
C++ · Networking
Rare in SpaceX's other 299 open postings.
84% of this description is written for the role. The rest is SpaceX's standard text, folded away below.
Read against SpaceX's other open postings on this site.
The team: Starlink Network Engineering HIRES STEADILY
This role is one of 63 open in Starlink Network Engineering. 2 were posted in the last 30 days and the oldest in March: a team that hires all year rather than one being built.
WHAT THE TEAM WORKS WITH, ACROSS ITS POSTINGS
C++ (40 of 63), C (36 of 63), Java (19 of 63), Python (19 of 63), C# (17 of 63), Golang (16 of 63), Kubernetes (15 of 63)
OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM
- Sr. Software Engineer, Network Observability (Starlink) posted Oct 14
- Network Engineer (Starlink Maritime) posted Sep 25
- Data Scientist (Starlink) posted Sep 4
- Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Aug 27
- Sr. Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Aug 27
- Principal Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Aug 27
- Principal Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Aug 27
- Sr. Software Engineer, Data Platform (Starlink) posted Aug 26
- Sr. Software Engineer, Data (Starlink) posted Aug 26
- Build Engineer (Enterprise Products) posted Aug 25
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Data Platform (Starlink) posted Aug 25
- Sr. Software Engineer, Starlink Enterprise Product (Space Lasers) posted Aug 20
- Software Engineer, Starlink Enterprise Products (Space Lasers) posted Aug 18
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer - Top Secret Clearance (Starlink) posted Aug 12
- Software Engineer, Telemetry - Top Secret Clearance (Starlink) posted Aug 3
- Sr. Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Aug 3
- Sr. Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Aug 3
- Software Engineer, Data - Top Secret Clearance (Starlink) posted Jul 30
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer - Top Secret Clearance (Starlink) posted Jul 30
- Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Software Engineer, Telemetry (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Software Engineer, Telemetry (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Sr. Software Engineer, Telemetry (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Sr. Software Engineer, Telemetry (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Software Engineer, Data (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Data (Starlink) posted Jul 29
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 28
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 28
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 28
- Wireless Software Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 20
- Wireless Software Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 20
- Sr. Wireless Software Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 20
- Sr. Wireless Software Engineer (Starlink) posted Jul 20
- Network Software Integration Engineer (Starlink) posted Jun 23
- Software Engineer (Starlink Enterprise) posted Jun 16
- Software Engineer, Low Latency Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Software Engineer, Low Latency Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Software Engineer, High Performance Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Software Engineer, High Performance Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Software Engineer, Beam Planning (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Software Engineer, Beam Planning (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Embedded Software Engineer, Laser Mesh Routing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Embedded Software Engineer, Laser Mesh Routing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Software Engineer, Low Latency Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Software Engineer, Low Latency Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Software Engineer, High Performance Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Software Engineer, High Performance Computing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Software Engineer, Beam Planning (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Software Engineer, Beam Planning (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Embedded Software Engineer, Laser Mesh Routing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Sr. Embedded Software Engineer, Laser Mesh Routing (Starlink) posted Jun 9
- Software Engineer, Network Observability (Starlink) posted Jun 8
- Sr. Software Engineer, DevOps (Starlink) posted Jun 5
- Network Engineer (Starlink Community Gateway) posted Jun 5
- Software Engineer, DevOps (Starlink) posted Jun 3
- Principal Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink) posted May 22
- Software Engineer (Starlink) posted Apr 29
- Software Engineer, Starlink Network posted Mar 25
- Software Engineer, C++ (Starlink) posted Mar 25
- Sr. Software Engineer, Starlink Network posted Mar 12
- Software Engineer, C++ (Starlink) posted Mar 12
From the team and dates on SpaceX's own job board.
Other openings for this role
2 open postings for this role in Sunnyvale, CA, first posted 20 March 2026. The company is likely hiring for more than one position. None has been taken down and posted again.
- 27 June 2026 – open
- 20 March 2026 – open (this posting)
See Software Engineer salaries in the United States →
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