ispace, inc. is looking for Ground Systems engineer to join our growing team in Tokyo.
The Ground Systems team forms the backbone of ispace’s Test and Flight Operations, responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the full infrastructure required to support mission testing and operations. This includes the Mission Control Center, Mission Control Software, operational tools, and the end-to-end test environments that enable mission readiness.As a Ground Systems Engineer, your work directly enables communication with the spacecraft and underpins every phase of mission test and execution. You play a pivotal role in ensuring that missions are conducted safely, reliably, and efficiently—designing and maintaining the infrastructure, software, and operational workflows that make real-time spacecraft operations possible. Your contributions not only ensure mission success, but also streamline operations and empower flight teams to perform at their best.
As a Ground Systems Engineer specialized in Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) platforms, you will design, develop, and maintain the simulation and validation environments used to test and verify the next generation of ispace spacecraft.
You will play a critical role in enabling a “Test-As-You-Fly” philosophy, ensuring that ground infrastructure and spacecraft testbeds faithfully replicate real mission conditions, providing a realistic and representative environment for validation and operations.
Type: Full-time Position
Location: Hybrid (Tokyo, Japan) On site at least twice a week with remote option
Experience Level: See Qualifications below
Group: JP Ground Systems Group, JP Test and Flight Operations Division
As a Ground Systems Engineer, your work directly enables communication with the spacecraft and underpins every phase of mission test and execution. You play a pivotal role in ensuring that missions are conducted safely, reliably, and efficiently—designing and maintaining the infrastructure, software, and operational workflows that make real-time spacecraft operations possible. Your contributions not only ensure mission success, but also streamline operations and empower flight teams to perform at their best.
We will prioritize candidates currently reside in Japan with valid working visa for the role. Relocation will be required for overseas candidate.
ispace, a global lunar resource development company with the vision, “Expand our planet. Expand our future.”, specializes in designing and building lunar landers and rovers. ispace aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon. Toward that vision, we aim to build an economic zone between the Earth and the Moon (cislunar) through the commercialization of lunar surface development.
In 2022, we launched our first mission to the Moon. It was the culmination of years of hard work and our first step towards extending human life into outer space. Mission 2, launched in 2025, was the second and final mission of the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program and featured the RESILIENCE lunar lander carrying the TENACIOUS micro rover, navigating deep space and entering lunar orbit before attempting to land on the Moon. With the completion of the R&D Phase, ispace moves forward, taking the lessons learned from Mission 1 and Mission 2, and transitioning into its “Early Commercialization Phase" with Missions 3 & 4 currently in development.
ispace has business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide.
