Perception Engineer

Fortastra is hiring a Perception Engineer to develop computer vision and machine learning algorithms that enable autonomous spacecraft to detect, classify, and track objects in space. The role builds onboard perception software and pipelines and works with GNC and Flight Software teams to deliver reliable, real-time perception for coordinated spacecraft autonomy.

Responsibilities:

• Develop computer vision and machine learning algorithms for object detection, classification, and tracking in the space environment
• Design and implement perception software for multi-agent spacecraft scenarios, drawing on paradigms from UAVs, drones, and advanced driver assistance systems
• Build perception pipelines and software stacks that process data from onboard sensors, with emphasis on camera-based systems and awareness of other sensing modalities
• Curate, generate, and manage datasets for training, validation, and testing of perception models
• Integrate perception algorithms into Fortastra’s proprietary simulation environment and ROS-based toolchains for end-to-end autonomy testing
• Implement perception software in Python and C++, targeting Linux (Ubuntu) environments and eventual flight software integration
• Collaborate with autonomy, GNC, and flight software teams to define interfaces, data products, and performance requirements for perception outputs
• Contribute to the design of software architectures for detecting and tracking objects in space, including reasoning about edge cases and failure modes