Lunasa Ltd. (Lúnasa) is a UK-headquartered SpaceTech startup founded on the 1st of March 2021.  The company is revolutionising space exploration by empowering intelligence into spacecraft navigation systems. Its first product is an Autonomous Rendezvous Proximity Operations (RPO) technology that enables the execution of complex missions from satellite refuelling and active debris removal to cargo transportation to space stations and deep space planetary exploration. Lúnasa has been backed by leading deep-tech private investors and has achieved several industry awards from leading organisations such as the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency. With a Team of 8 and growing, Lúnasa has built expertise in AI/ML, satellite navigation, space systems, and much more.

Project Description:

The project focuses on researching and establishing guidelines for portable Real-Time Operating System code, along with developing and proving the portability of C code using a Lúnasa RendezVous and Proximity kit test case on ARM processors with RTEMS, FreeRTOS, and Linux.

Lúnasa aims to build a framework for the seamless integration of its products into diverse customer platforms to improve the portability of its code for several kinds of on-board computers.

We are seeking an intern to support the development of our satellite Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) kit, focusing on the development of a portability layer providing the capability of supporting multiple target computers with minimal changes. The goal of the project is twofold:

• Produce guidelines on how to produce portable code for RTOS:

• Research on existing software portability techniques

• Write guidelines to produce a flexible and adaptable RTOS software

• Develop the code using a test case from Lúnasa RPO kit

• Develop the C code

• Prove that the code is portable, using ARM processor as target and two different RTOS (RTEMS and FreeRTOS) and one non-RTOS (Linux)

Applicant Specification:

We are looking for an ambitious, high-caliber, and motivated candidate to work on flight-embedded software. The intern must be a capable people person, willing to keep things easy for the next person to pick up - which means writing reusable code and documentation. The intern must be comfortable with working in a team under agile development methods, interacting with researchers and engineers, able to perform high-quality research in collaboration with the other team members, and should not yield under stress.

Academic:

• A Bachelor/Master’s degree in a STEM subject, with at least some coursework/experience in the areas of software engineering.

Minimum requirements:

• Strong skills in C/C++ programming languages;

• Knowledge about Real-Time Operation Systems (e.g: FreeRTOS and/or RTEMS)

• Experience using software management and workflow automation tools such as Git or Jira

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

 Desirable requirements:

• Knowledge about space technologies;

Process details:

• 12 weeks minimum fixed term contract to be agreed with the successful candidate