Full-Time
Senior Software Engineer
Tasking and Planning
Updated on 9/3/2026
ICEYE
1,001-5,000 employees
Real-time SAR satellite data provider
No salary listed
Valencia, Spain
Hybrid
Three days in the Valencia office per week required.
 Software Engineering (1) |
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- Design decoupled, maintainable, resilient, and performant systems, and reason about concurrency, transactions, CAP trade-offs, and message-delivery guarantees.
- Use AI-assisted engineering tools across design, coding, testing, documentation, debugging, and code review while verifying outputs and maintaining production guarantees.
- Have production experience designing, building, and operating REST APIs, relational databases, and asynchronous workers, with attention to observability and resilience.
- Learn technical domains such as orbital mechanics, radio-frequency physics, and geospatial data quickly.
- Translate ambiguous operational needs into concrete engineering work and make well-reasoned decisions as requirements evolve.
- Communicate technical trade-offs clearly across technical and operational domains.
- Work in a hybrid arrangement with three days per week in the Valencia office.
- Complete applicable security screening, including SUPO where required.
- Build software systems that enable satellite tasking, data-acquisition planning, and operational intelligence capabilities.
- Develop tasking and planning engines for orbit propagation, pass prediction, acquisition geometry, sensor configuration parameters, and coverage-footprint computation.
- Build backend platform services for task management, including event-driven workers that calculate opportunities and asynchronously synchronize state.
- Develop robust and evolvable application programming interfaces and user interfaces for visualizing passes, comparing collection plans, planning tasks, and managing access to space.
- Collaborate closely with users, engineers, and product managers to understand operational needs and deliver software.
- Help define the architecture and direction of the acquisition-planning platform.
- Contribute to future capabilities such as multi-sensor coordination, processing-pipeline integration, and new collection strategies.
- Experience with event-driven architecture, including NATS, Kafka, or SQS, at-least-once delivery, idempotency, and asynchronous service-communication trade-offs.
- Production experience with Next.js, React, and TypeScript for data-intensive or real-time visualization applications.
- Experience with CesiumJS or deck.gl.
- Daily use of AI development assistants such as Cursor, Copilot, Claude, or ChatGPT.
- Experience with orbital mechanics, including TLEs, SGP4 propagation, pass prediction, incidence and squint geometry, and access-window computation.
- Familiarity with Skyfield, GMAT, or STK.
- Experience with geospatial engineering, including GeoJSON, CZML, WGS84, map projections, coverage polygons, and ground footprints.
- Experience in the space, defense, or intelligence sector.
ICEYE builds and operates small SAR satellites to continuously monitor any location on Earth, day or night and through weather. Customers access radar imagery and analytics via direct data sales, subscriptions, or by deploying their own high-performance SAR satellites within months. SAR works by emitting radar signals and capturing reflected waves to reveal changes over time, delivering near-real-time data for disaster response, flood or wildfire assessment, and insurance claims processing. ICEYE differentiates itself with persistent, rapid deployment and flexible delivery models across government and private sectors, aiming to expand the commercial space data market and support fast, informed decision-making.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Series F
Total Funding
$2.2B
Headquarters
Espoo, Finland
Founded
2012
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- June 9, 2026 Series F raised €450 million primary at over €10 billion valuation.
- August 2026 FloodID partnership expands ICEYE into predictive flood intelligence for insurers and governments.
- June and July 2026 launches added ten satellites, proving manufacturing and deployment momentum.
What critics are saying
- SpaceX rideshare dependence exposes ICEYE launches to schedule slips and pricing power.
- Capella, Umbra, and Synspective attack ICEYE's SAR lead with sovereign government sales.
- Defense revenue concentration creates procurement-cycle risk; one canceled national program hits backlog fast.
What makes ICEYE unique
- ICEYE runs the world's largest commercial SAR constellation, with 70 satellites by July 2026.
- Gen4 satellites reach 16 cm resolution, 400 km field of regard, and faster revisit.
- ICEYE embeds into sovereign defense bases: Netherlands, India, Korea, and Poland.
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↓ -1%Japan turns to AI satellites for faster defense response. September 4, 2026 at 3:12 PM GMT+0 * Japan's Defense Ministry plans to develop AI-powered satellites to accelerate military decision-making. * The initiative is part of a record ¥8.89 trillion defense budget request for fiscal 2027, focusing on new warfare domains. * The program is developmental, with test satellites slated for fiscal 2027-29 and launches from fiscal 2030. A shift toward integrated defense. Japan is moving from conventional, ground-centered command systems toward an integrated defense architecture where satellites and AI help commanders identify, fuse, and prioritize information more quickly. The Defense Ministry will collaborate with Japanese companies to build test satellites between fiscal 2027 and 2029, with launches planned for fiscal 2030 or later, according to Nikkei. This reported program is still developmental, not implying autonomous satellite-directed strikes or an operational system today. It aligns with a broader push under the FY2027 defense budget request, which prioritizes AI, unmanned systems, stand-off weapons, missile defense, space, cyber, and AI-enabled command-and-control. "The requested AI decision-support system is intended to improve the speed and accuracy of assessing battlefield information and selecting options for commanders," a ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Building domestic AI and space capabilities. Japan is also considering using commercial cloud services for classified defense data, subject to security standards being prepared during FY2026. This is crucial because an AI-satellite system depends on securely moving, integrating, and analyzing large volumes of imagery, sensor, and operational data. In parallel, Tokyo has emphasized domestic AI capacity. A reported July 2026 Defense Ministry demonstration contract with Japanese startup Sakana AI focuses on AI agents that collect and cross-check intelligence, including satellite imagery and open-source data, before generating analytical reports. Potential beneficiaries are likely Japanese firms across satellite manufacturing, sensors, secure communications, launch services, ground stations, AI software, data fusion, cloud, and command-and-control integration. One related commercial-security project illustrates the direction: IHI (7013.T) and Finland's ICEYE have agreed to co-develop a high-resolution synthetic-aperture-radar constellation, initially ordering four satellites with an option to expand to 24 by FY2029. Economic and strategic implications. The main commercial consequence is a potentially larger and more predictable domestic defense-space procurement pipeline, but financial gains for individual suppliers remain uncertain until contract awards and budgets are published. Japan's defense-space investment is part of a wider modernization cycle driven by regional security risks, rapid advances in AI and drones, and the falling cost of small-satellite constellations. Data is becoming a strategic asset: low-earth-orbit constellations can revisit areas more frequently than traditional large satellites, and onboard AI could filter imagery or flag anomalies before transmission, reducing bandwidth demands. Politically, the program builds on Japan's 2022 strategic-policy shift, which introduced counterstrike capability and set a path toward defense spending at roughly 2% of GDP. This remains sensitive domestically, with critics questioning compatibility with Japan's pacifist constitution and whether AI could lower the threshold for escalation. "The core policy challenge will be ensuring meaningful human command authority," said a defense analyst familiar with the discussions. Japan has been developing defense-AI rules focused on responsible use, emphasizing testability, auditability, and accountability. Alliance implications are significant: improved Japanese surveillance and data fusion could make Japan a more capable contributor to Japan-U.S. operations. However, China and others may view the constellation as part of Japan's expanding counterstrike architecture, intensifying strategic competition and accusations of militarizing space. Outlook. Short term, through FY2029, expect feasibility studies, prototype contracts, payload and AI-model testing, and debate over decision authority. The FY2027 budget process and planned revision of Japan's core security documents will be key indicators. Around FY2030 and beyond, if launches proceed, Japan could gain a more resilient surveillance-and-decision-support network, potentially strengthening deterrence and improving warning time. Its effectiveness will depend on resilient communications, cybersecurity, satellite survivability, and rigorous validation of AI outputs. The key distinction to watch is between AI-assisted decision support and AI-authorized use of force. Available reporting frames the initiative as speeding intelligence processing and commanders' decisions; the legally and ethically consequential question will be whether Japan preserves robust human review at every stage where a recommendation could contribute to a counterstrike decision.
Ariane 6 completes Europe's MTG weather trio, space brief 28 Aug 2026. Ariane 6 launches MTG-I2 from Kourou, completing Europe's three-satellite Meteosat Third Generation constellation for 2.5-minute atmosphere refresh rates. Top stories. Ariane 6 launches MTG-I2, completing Europe's first Meteosat Third Generation trio. Europe's second Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2) launched aboard Ariane 6 flight VA270 from Kourou on August 27 at 22:11 CEST. The satellite completes the initial three-spacecraft MTG constellation, which will deliver atmosphere imagery over Europe and northern Africa every 2.5 minutes, a major upgrade in refresh rate for tracking weather fronts, wildfires, and atmospheric pollution. Read the full story: ESA NorthStar and Kepler partner on canadian-built space domain awareness constellation. Montreal-based NorthStar Earth & Space will integrate its SDA optical sensors onto Toronto-based Kepler Communications spacecraft under a new partnership announced August 27. NorthStar, which recently signed a C$40M+ contract with the Royal Canadian Air Force's 3 Canadian Space Division, is expected to go public via SPAC next quarter. The deal comes as Canada pushes for independent orbital monitoring capability separate from US systems, even as NorthStar maintains a US division participating in DARPA's Space-WATCH program. Read the full story: Payload ICEYE opens offices in Netherlands, korea, and india to meet sovereign SAR demand. Finnish SAR satellite manufacturer ICEYE opened three international offices in a single week, each tailored to the host country's defense-industrial priorities. The Netherlands office will focus on engineering R&D and co-development with the Dutch defense base. Korea will support local defense and intelligence customers. India will build local manufacturing and supply-chain capacity. The expansion follows ICEYE's €1B+ Series F close in June and earlier office openings in Portugal, Germany, and the UAE. Read the full story: Payload Astronaut Jonny Kim leaves NASA for active military duty. Navy SEAL-turned-physician-turned-astronaut Jonny Kim has departed NASA to return to active military service. Kim was selected in NASA's 2017 astronaut class but had not yet flown a mission. His departure reduces NASA's active astronaut corps at a time when the agency is ramping crew assignments for Artemis lunar missions and continued ISS operations. SpaceX recovers Starship upper stage from Indian Ocean onto semi-submersible ship. SpaceX has loaded the Starship upper stage that splashed down in the Indian Ocean onto a large semi-submersible recovery ship for transport back to the US. Photos show the spacecraft secured on the vessel. Recovering and inspecting flown Starship hardware is a prerequisite for SpaceX to validate its reuse architecture for the upper stage, which remains the most challenging element of the full-stack reusability plan. Turkey to sign Artemis Accords. NASA has invited media to a signing ceremony for Turkey's accession to the Artemis Accords. Turkey's addition expands the multinational framework governing civil lunar exploration, which now includes over 50 signatories. The accords establish norms for transparency, interoperability, and space resource use among participating nations. Read the full story: NASA Army Missile Defense Chief makes case for interceptor diversity. Lt. Gen. John Rafferty, commander of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, outlined why the Army favors maintaining a wide portfolio of interceptor types for air and missile defense. Speaking at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium, Rafferty addressed the tension between ongoing modernization programs and the immediate operational demand driven by drone and missile threats in active conflict zones. Satellite of the day. GNOMES-5 - GNOMES-5 is a 41 kg PlanetiQ microsatellite using GNSS radio occultation to profile atmospheric temperature and moisture from 564 km sun-synchronous orbit. By the numbers. * Active satellites tracked: 15,859 * Cataloged debris objects: 14,908 * New objects cataloged yesterday: 8 * Orbital launches this year: 206 (199 successful) * Next launch: Falcon Heavy | Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in about 50 hours (Aug 30, 11:26 UTC) Catalog watch. Space-Track cataloged 8 new objects in its latest daily accounting (2026-08-27), alongside 26,164 updated element sets. Reentry watch. * STARLINK-5533 (56355) - predicted decay Aug 28, 22:02 UTC, window +/-5 h (track live) * YINLI-1 R/B (66205) - predicted decay Aug 30, 19:32 UTC, window +/-19 h (track live) * TAIJING-1 03 (58821) - predicted decay Aug 31, 00:48 UTC, window +/-18 h (track live) * STARLINK-4310 (53074) - predicted decay Aug 31, 06:43 UTC, window +/-19 h (track live) * STARLINK-2727 (48652) - predicted decay Aug 31, 15:30 UTC, window +/-18 h (track live) Upcoming space launches. Schedule changes. * Newly added: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H3-22 | ETS-9, scheduled for Dec 31, 00:00 UTC. * Slipped: Ariane 62 | MTG-I2 moved from Aug 27, 20:10 UTC to Aug 27, 20:11 UTC. * Slipped: Spectrum | Onward and Upward moved from Sep 30, 00:00 UTC to Sep 4, 20:00 UTC. * Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer A moved from Sep 30, 00:00 UTC to Dec 31, 00:00 UTC. * Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer C moved from Sep 30, 00:00 UTC to Dec 31, 00:00 UTC. * Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer E moved from Sep 30, 00:00 UTC to Dec 31, 00:00 UTC. * Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer D moved from Sep 30, 00:00 UTC to Dec 31, 00:00 UTC. * Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer F moved from Sep 30, 00:00 UTC to Dec 31, 00:00 UTC. * Status change: Ariane 62 | MTG-I2 is now "Launch Successful". * Status change: Spectrum | Onward and Upward is now "To Be Confirmed". No launches are scheduled in the next 48 hours. See every upcoming mission on the live schedule: Upcoming Launches Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations. Maurice Stellarski. Maurice Stellarski is the Chief Coordination Officer (CCO) of the Civilian Cardboard Command Center Protocol (CCCCP). With over 25 years of self-certified experience in NEATS (Non-Existent Aerospace Tracking Systems), Maurice specializes in predicting launches with uncanny accuracy using his proprietary KITCHEN (Knowledge Integration Technology Combined with Household Equipment Network) methodology. When not monitoring his mission control center, Maurice maintains the world's largest collection of mission-critical authorization stamps and hosts the underground podcast 'Countdown to Breakfast: Uncensored Launch News.'
Washington updates: new Space Transportation Policy. SpaceX's new Starbase location will be built on about 125,000 acres south of Lafayette, Louisiana. Credit: NASA * The White House releases a new National Space Transportation Policy. * China delays its Chang'e 7 lunar exploration mission to 2027. * SpaceX announces a new launch facility in Louisiana. United States space policy updates. * The White House releases a new National Space Transportation Policy. The policy aims to expand the nation's capabilities to support more than 1,000 U.S. rocket launches and reentries annually by 2030. The United States launched 193 rockets in 2025. This is the first update to the policy since 2023. (White House, Aug. 20) * Teams complete flight readiness review for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch on Aug. 30. (NASA, Aug. 21) * The White House releases the National Security Science & Technology Strategy, which identifies space as a priority area for "U.S. battlefield dominance and power projection." (Breaking Defense, Aug. 20) * The FAA is seeking input on potential locations for additional spaceports. (SpaceNews, Aug. 22) * The Artemis III mission will not include cubesat payloads. (SpaceNews, Aug. 25) International space policy updates. * China delays its Chang'e 7 lunar exploration mission to 2027. The mission, planned to land on the Moon's south pole, includes an orbiter, lander, and rover launched on a Long March 5. Although no cause for delay was given, it is likely related to Typhoon Narra. (Ars Technica, Aug. 23) * JAXA on Oct. 20 plans to launch an H3 rocket carrying a probe to explore the moons of Mars. (Nippon.com, Aug. 20) * ESA works to protect satellite navigation systems from jamming and spoofing. (ESA, Aug. 25) * ISRO plans an uncrewed test flight of Gaganyaan-1 crew capsule in the next four months. (Outlook India, Aug. 23) * South Korea's space agency plans to create prototypes of a five-seat hybrid vertical takeoff and landing aircraft by 2032. (YNA, Aug. 25) Space industry updates. * SpaceX announces Starbase, Louisiana, a new $100 billion launch facility. The new Starbase is planned to eventually support thousands of Starship launches per year. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and the first Starship launches are targeted for 2029. (Yahoo Finance, Aug. 25) * Space and defense company Ursa Major announces plans to go public in a $2.3 billion deal. (SpaceNews, Aug. 25) * Orbital data center company Starcloud announces a $250 million Series A extension. (Payload, Aug. 24) * ICEYE expands in the Netherlands and India. (ICEYE, Aug. 25) * Vast Space reportedly cuts 4% of its employees. (Business Insider, Aug. 21)
Louisiana-developed FloodID expands through ICEYE partnership. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * The Water Institute is partnering with ICEYE to expand FloodID in the U.S. and internationally. * FloodID combines predictive modeling with localized information to help officials prepare for and respond to flooding. * More than 200 government users have enrolled in a FloodID pilot supported by Amazon during the 2026 hurricane season. * Several FloodID team members have joined ICEYE as the technology moves toward broader commercial deployment. The Water Institute has partnered with satellite technology company ICEYE to expand FloodID, a Louisiana-developed flood intelligence platform, across the United States and internationally. The Baton Rouge-based research organization announced the partnership Thursday, saying it will combine FloodID's predictive technology with ICEYE's satellite-based Earth observation capabilities to provide emergency managers, infrastructure operators, businesses and communities with more timely information about potential flooding. FloodID was developed by The Water Institute to help Louisiana officials make decisions before, during and after floods. The platform uses predictive modeling to provide localized information about where flooding could occur and which people, infrastructure and properties could be at risk. The technology has since expanded beyond Louisiana and is being used in emergency operations centers in several hurricane-prone states and municipalities, according to the institute. More than 200 users also have enrolled in a FloodID pilot program available to federal, state and local government organizations during the 2026 hurricane season. The pilot was developed with support from Amazon and access to Amazon Web Services technology. The partnership with ICEYE is intended to accelerate FloodID's expansion. ICEYE operates in more than 30 countries and owns a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites capable of monitoring the Earth's surface day or night and through cloud cover and severe weather. "FloodID began with a clear purpose: to put better, faster, more localized flood intelligence into the hands of the people making decisions when lives, property, and communities are at risk," Beaux Jones, president and CEO of The Water Institute, said in a statement. Jones said the Gulf Coast's experience with hurricanes, flooding and other water-related threats has helped Louisiana develop technology and expertise that can be applied elsewhere. "Louisiana and the Gulf Coast have long been on the front lines of water-related challenges, and that experience has helped generate science, expertise, and technology with relevance far beyond our region," Jones said. "By partnering with ICEYE, we are giving FloodID the pathway to reach more decision makers, in more places, at the moments when better information can make all the difference." ICEYE's satellite observations will be combined with FloodID's predictive capabilities to give users information about both existing flood conditions and what could happen next. The Finland-founded company employs more than 1,000 people globally and provides satellite-based intelligence for government, defense, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management customers. "ICEYE has built its flood intelligence platform around delivering trusted information throughout every stage of a flood event, from early warning through active response and post-event assessment," Will Panchaud, senior director of product solutions at ICEYE, said in a statement. "FloodID adds another important dimension to that capability by strengthening our predictive intelligence." As part of the agreement, several members of the Water Institute team responsible for developing and operating FloodID have joined ICEYE. The organizations said they are working to maintain continuity for agencies and other partners already using the platform. Hugh Roberts, formerly senior vice president at The Water Institute, has joined ICEYE as head of predictive intelligence. "The methods that underlie FloodID are designed to be uniquely scalable, not only for flood prediction but for a range of use cases that build upon hydrologic predictions," Roberts said. "Joining ICEYE creates an extraordinary opportunity to build upon the foundations established at the Institute and scale those capabilities globally." The partnership could also lead to collaboration between the organizations on coastal resilience issues beyond flooding, according to The Water Institute. Amazon, which supported the FloodID government pilot, said expanding access to predictive flood information could help communities prepare earlier for increasingly complex flooding events. "From Louisiana to Texas and beyond, we've watched flooding become harder to predict: atmospheric rivers dropping 30 inches of rain, storm surge colliding with inland flooding, and thousand-year floods arriving with unsettling frequency," Jeffrey Schweitzer, Amazon's disaster relief technology and innovation lead, said in a statement. "This collaboration can help communities across many states prepare in advance. Better information means communities that are ready before the water rises." The FloodID expansion also is connected to the Water Innovation Studio of Louisiana, an initiative housed at The Water Institute and created with Louisiana Innovation, a division of Louisiana Economic Development. The studio is designed to help move Louisiana-developed water technologies from research into commercial applications. Josh Fleig, LED's chief innovation officer, described FloodID as an example of Louisiana research reaching a broader commercial market. "This is exactly why we created the Water Innovation Studio," Fleig said. "Louisiana has long been a laboratory for solving some of the world's most complex water challenges." Founded in 2011, The Water Institute is an independent applied research organization headquartered in Baton Rouge that focuses on reducing risks to communities, ecosystems and economies from environmental challenges.
ICEYE establishes South Korean unit, signs research agreement with Seoul university. Giulia Bernacchi August 27, 2026 Finnish satellite company ICEYE has established a South Korean subsidiary, ICEYE Korea, and signed a cooperation agreement with Seoul National University. ICEYE operates a constellation of small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites capable of collecting imagery at night and through cloud cover, supplying spacecraft, data, and related services to government and commercial customers. ICEYE Korea's initial focus will be on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services based on SAR satellites. The company said its South Korean unit would also explore opportunities involving local technology testing, supply chains, and workforce development. "Korea is an important market for us in Asia, and establishing ICEYE Korea marks the next step in our long-term commitment to the country," stated Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE. Research cooperation. Under the memorandum of understanding, ICEYE and Seoul National University will explore cooperation in SAR Earth observation, small satellites, AI-based image analysis, and autonomous satellite operations. Proposed activities include a joint research and education center, satellite-system development, SAR data processing, and AI analytics. ICEYE and the university will also assess the use of satellite data for disaster response, maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring, and defense applications. International expansion. The announcements are part of a broader international expansion by the Finnish satellite firm. Earlier this month, the company opened an Amsterdam office and announced plans for a technology hub within the Netherlands Defence Technological Industrial Base. The facility will provide engineering support, space-readiness training, and cooperation with Dutch defense organizations. ICEYE has also established an office in New Delhi to pursue partnerships with Indian companies in satellite launches, electronics, components, and local production. The company plans to use Indian suppliers and engineering expertise to support defense, surveillance, and environmental-monitoring programs.