About the role
<h3><strong>About Lodestar</strong></h3> <p>Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product, <em>MITHRIL</em>, is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into a single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.</p> <h3><strong>About the Job</strong></h3> <p>We are looking for a motivated Software Engineer Intern to support our Perception team in developing and enhancing our synthetic dataset generation system. This role offers hands-on experience with the full associated pipeline, including modeling, material and texture work, automation scripts, and Game Engine development. This is a unique opportunity to contribute directly to a core enabling technology for AI perception in space applications.</p> <hr> <h3><strong>What You’ll Do</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Support the Perception team in creating high-quality synthetic datasets for satellite perception and AI training.</li> <li>Further develop the existing dataset generation pipeline to make necessary system updates and expansion, as well as optimize for efficiency and scalability.</li> <li>Perform mesh preparation, including 3D modeling, material creation, and texturing.</li> <li>Develop automation scripts for processing data and assets, and interfacing between tools.</li> <li>Implement scene generation workflows, world-building, and rendering within a 3D game engine.&nbsp;</li> <li>Collaborate with engineers to prototype new dataset generation workflows.</li> </ul> <hr> <h3><strong>Qualifications</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Game Design, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.</li> <li>Proficiency in Python and experience with C++.</li> <li>Experience with game engines (e.g. Unreal Engine, Unity, or equivalent).</li> <li>Familiarity with 3D modelling software (e.g., Blender, Maya, or equivalent).</li> <li>Enthusiastic, self-starter with a willingness to learn new tools and workflows.</li> <li>Good communication skills and ability to collaborate with a small, multidisciplinary team.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Preferred Skills &amp; Experience</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Understanding of 3D graphics, materials, and lighting.</li> <li>Experience with scripting p