Full-Time
Senior Full-Stack Web Developer
Updated on 9/4/2026
Loft Orbital
201-500 employees
Turnkey space missions via standardized satellites
No salary listed
Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
In Person
 Software Engineering (1) |
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- At least 10 years of experience in software engineering and full-stack web development.
- A proven track record leading complex web-development projects with highly interactive and reactive user interfaces.
- Strong expertise in JavaScript, TypeScript, Node.js, React, FastAPI, and related ecosystems.
- Experience designing scalable software architectures and application programming interfaces.
- Strong understanding of computer architecture and performance optimization, including data flows, storage systems, networking, memory management, and latency considerations.
- Experience with cloud-native and containerized environments using Docker and Kubernetes.
- Strong knowledge of databases and geospatial data technologies, including PostgreSQL/PostGIS and related tools.
- Experience with continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines and Agile software development methodologies.
- Familiarity with geographic information system and geospatial technologies such as Mapbox/MapLibre, OpenLayers, QGIS, GDAL, SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog, and Open Geospatial Consortium standards.
- Strong programming experience in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript.
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work autonomously in fast-paced environments.
- Strong communication skills and English fluency.
- Lead the development of Orbitworks’ Solutions software stack in collaboration with the Principal Solution Architect.
- Define and implement scalable frontend and backend architectures for customer-facing applications.
- Drive engineering best practices across the software development lifecycle, including tooling, code quality, testing, and deployment strategies.
- Promote and implement AI-assisted development workflows and modern engineering practices.
- Develop highly interactive frontend applications and performant backend application programming interfaces.
- Implement features for CNC2, the Collection Needs Command & Control platform for order management and tasking.
- Implement cataloguing, storage, streaming, and downstream data services for customers and artificial intelligence applications in the Datalake platform.
- Design systems capable of processing large volumes of geospatial and temporal data with high responsiveness and reliability.
- Build applications leveraging modern web technologies and geospatial frameworks.
- Implement containerized deployment strategies using Docker and Kubernetes.
- Support continuous integration and continuous delivery implementation and Agile development workflows.
- Coordinate with Infrastructure teams to ensure application performance, scalability, and operational readiness.
- Contribute to production monitoring, deployment automation, and platform optimization.
- Partner with multidisciplinary teams across software, infrastructure, mission operations, and data systems.
- Contribute technical expertise to architectural decisions and long-term platform strategy.
- Experience in Earth Observation or Remote Sensing domains.
- Knowledge of GeoINT workflows and geospatial intelligence applications.
- Experience applying artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to computer vision, geographic data, or remote sensing datasets.
- Experience building real-time, highly interactive visualization platforms.
- Familiarity with WebGL2, WebAssembly, DuckDB, Parquet, Tailwind, Vite, Vue, or Svelte.
- Experience leading or mentoring software engineering teams.
- Ability and willingness to travel internationally and collaborate across distributed global teams.
Loft Orbital provides space infrastructure as a service, offering turnkey access to satellite missions. It maintains an inventory of satellite buses and runs scheduled quarterly launches, enabling clients to deploy missions quickly without managing the technical details. The company handles all mission engineering, operations, and logistics, using identical satellite hardware for each mission to maximize flight heritage and reduce technical risk. Its payload-agnostic technology can support a wide range of payloads on a standard bus, giving it flexibility to serve diverse customers. Loft Orbital's model centers on delivering end-to-end space missions as a service, charging clients for deployment, operation, and the ongoing support needed to build and scale satellite constellations.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Series C
Total Funding
$344M
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Founded
2016
Get referred to Loft Orbital
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- CNES's April 2026 contract funds ten-satellite AI Earth-observation deployment through 2028.
- Loft's July 2026 MaiaSpace deal diversifies launch access beyond SpaceX rideshares.
- NASA JPL demos on Yam-9 started June 2026, expanding Loft's on-orbit AI credibility.
What critics are saying
- Loft still depends on unproven MaiaSpace rockets; a 2027 slip breaks 2028 launches.
- SpaceX Transporter saturation squeezes Loft's historical rideshare strategy before 2029.
- A prolonged launch bottleneck would strand customer payloads and destroy Loft's turnkey promise.
What makes Loft Orbital unique
- Loft owns the mission stack: booking, launch, operations, licensing, and insurance for customers.
- CNES awarded Loft prime contractor roles in 2026, validating sovereign-grade execution.
- Its payload-agnostic bus inventory and AI-for-Space unit shorten integration and iteration cycles.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Flexible Work Hours
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Parental Leave
Family Planning Benefits
Fertility Treatment Support
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Relocation Assistance
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
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↑ 3%Simera Sense selected by Loft Orbital to supply 10 hyperspectral imagers. Simera Sense has supplied 10 HyperScape100 imagers to Loft Orbital (Loft). The procurement of the 10 HyperScape100 imagers speaks to the growing demand for compact, reliable, and flight-proven imaging payloads that can be integrated quickly into modern satellite platforms. With satellite operators seeking to serve a wider range of commercial and institutional users, the reliability of the payload and speed of its integration are becoming increasingly important to the success of any given mission. Simera Sense's optical payloads combine high performance, compact form factor, and small satellite mission heritage. The company's imagers are designed to support a range of Earth observation applications, including environmental monitoring, infrastructure observation, land-use analysis, maritime awareness, and a number of other data-driven services that depend on timely, high-quality imagery from orbit. The HyperScape100 is the leading compact hyperspectral imager, delivering high-performance 32-band imagery at 4.75 m GSD from low Earth orbit. Its configurable architecture enables operators to select any 32 spectral bands from a library of 400 and update those selections while in space. This unmatched flexibility allows the payload to evolve alongside mission objectives, unlocking new applications and maximizing mission value over time. More than 15 of the imagers in total have now been launched and are operating successfully from space. 'Loft operates in exactly the kind of environment for which our imagers were designed,' said Thys Cronje, Chief Commercial Officer at Simera Sense. 'Supplying 10 HyperScape100 imagers over the past 12 months speaks to the strength of its relationship and the growing importance of proven, mission-ready payloads for modern commercial space programmes. 'Satellite Evolution Group is proud to support Loft across a range of missions and to help make high-quality, space-based hyperspectral imaging more accessible to customers worldwide.' Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO at Loft, said: "We're pleased to work with industry partners like Simera Sense to support our growing multi-sensor, AI-based space infrastructure services offering." The relationship between Simera Sense and Loft also reflects the increasing maturity of the small satellite market. As more customers seek access to space-based data, satellite operators need payload partners that can support repeatable, scalable, and commercially viable mission architectures. Optical payloads remain central to this market, providing the imagery required for decision-making across government, commercial, environmental, and security applications. For Simera Sense, the procurement further reinforces the company's position as a trusted provider of advanced optical payload solutions for small satellite operators, mission integrators, and Earth observation companies worldwide. The company continues to expand its role in the global space sector by delivering payloads that combine performance, reliability, and ease of integration for next-generation satellite missions.
Loft Orbital has procured 10 additional Longbow satellite platforms from Airbus Defence and Space and a high-power Nova bus from Apex to expand its off-the-shelf satellite inventory. The 235kg Longbow platforms can carry payloads up to 85kg and will support constellation deployments for government and defence customers. Loft has now ordered 32 Longbow platforms since 2022. The new 600kg Nova platform provides 1kW of orbit-average power and supports payloads up to 300kg, targeting national security applications including advanced sensing and communications. The contract includes up to 10 buses, with the first delivery scheduled for October 2026. Founded in 2017, Loft has flown over 25 missions, offering governments and companies rapid satellite deployment by integrating, launching, and operating spacecraft on their behalf.
Loft Orbital books multiple launches aboard MaiaSpace rockets. July 8, 2026 US-based satellite operator Loft Orbital has signed a multi-launch agreement with ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace. Although the announcement provided few details, it did share that the first flight was expected in 2028. In an 8 July press release, MaiaSpace explained that the multi-launch agreement "consolidates its launch manifest," adding that the company has now sold more than half of all capacity for its first three years of operation. To date, all Loft Orbital satellites have been launched aboard SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions. However, according to reporting from SpaceNews, in recent weeks, several customers of these missions have said that SpaceX is not accepting Transporter reservations beyond late 2028 or early 2029. The publication quoted Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice as saying that there "seems to be a panic setting in." While Loft Orbital has some protection against the loss of Transporter capacity through German launch aggregator Exolaunch, with which it has previously worked and which has secured a dedicated SpaceX flight to market as a rideshare mission, the company is likely looking to add further redundancy to its launch manifest. Beyond redundancy, though, a quote from Emmanuelle Meric, general manager of Loft Orbital's European operations, points to another motivation for selecting a European launch provider. "As Loft Orbital strengthens its work with public and institutional partners in Europe, choosing a trusted European launch provider is a natural step towards supporting a more sovereign and reliable European space ecosystem," said Meric. Despite its growing launch manifest, MaiaSpace has not yet attempted a flight of its Maia rocket. The company is currently working toward a suborbital test flight in early 2027, followed by an initial orbital flight in the second half of 2027. Speaking to European Spaceflight in late June, a MaiaSpace spokesperson explained that it expects to ship elements of the first two flight models to its launch site in French Guiana by the end of the year. Keep European Spaceflight independent. Your donation will help European Spaceflight to continue digging into the stories others miss. Every euro keeps our reporting alive.
Loft Orbital has secured an agreement with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to host and demonstrate AI software on its space infrastructure. The collaboration, part of JPL's Federated Autonomous MEasurement project funded by NASA's Earth Science Technology Office, will advance on-orbit AI capabilities for Earth science remote sensing. Flight demonstrations began in June 2026, with additional deployments scheduled through 2028. JPL's AI software aims to reduce data latency by processing information in near-real time, delivering urgent insights on wildfires, flooding and natural disasters to emergency responders. The spacecraft will demonstrate autonomous tip-and-queue tasking without ground intervention using intersatellite links. Founded in 2017, Loft Orbital has flown over 25 missions and operates facilities in San Francisco, Colorado and Toulouse, France.
A satellite has used a vision-language model to identify features on Earth autonomously for the first time, marking a significant milestone in space-based AI. The demonstration occurred in April aboard Yam-9, a spacecraft built by Loft Orbital, using software from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory powered by Google DeepMind's Gemma 3. The system successfully classified sensor data and identified infrastructure in response to natural language queries, without requiring human analysts on the ground. This approach could dramatically reduce the volume of raw data transmitted to Earth by performing initial analysis in orbit. Loft Orbital's head of AI Paul Lasserre said the technology enables "always-on, patrol layers in space" that can monitor specific areas and flag suspicious activity. The company aims to deploy 50-100 similar satellites for real-time global coverage, building on its current constellation of 12 spacecraft.