Esteban Duran

About Esteban Duran

I am a spacecraft software engineer living in Austin, Texas currently working on on-board artificial intelligence for multi-spacecraft systems. I enjoy solving challenging problems and pushing the boundaries of what can be done in spacecraft software. My colleagues would describe me as a sharp and driven individual who is genuine and maintains a positive attitude when faced with adversity. The technical areas that fascinate me are spacecraft autonomy, flight software, and artificial intelligence. I really enjoy writing correct, modern and simple flight software code that enables autonomy. I get the most joy when I get to collaborate with others that have a diverse background or skillset that culminates in a simple, intuitive and beautiful product.

Experience

1. Team Lead Mission Autonomy

   York Space Systems

   Jul 2025 — Present · Austin, TX, US

   As the Team Lead for the Ground Software Mission Autonomy team, I am responsible for the architecture, implementation, verification, and delivery of ground-based autonomy capabilities that coordinate and optimize multi-satellite operations. I lead a technically focused team applying modern software engineering practices—including distributed system design, asynchronous workflows, advanced planning and scheduling algorithms, distributed networking, and machine learning—to increase operational scalability and reduce operator workload.My role includes significant hands-on development across.NET, C/C++, and Python, contributing to low-latency services, mission automation frameworks, and high-reliability ground system components. I also support and drive our end-to-end testing strategy, including integration, regression, and mission-scenario validation, ensuring that autonomy features meet strict performance, reliability, and security requirements. Additionally, I contribute to our DevSecOps toolchain by improving CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code implementations, and automated quality gates for flight-critical software.

Education

• University of Houston-Downtown

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Computer Science

  2017

Skills

• Programming
• C++
• Python
• Computer Science
• Leadership
• Customer Service
• Research
• Microsoft Office
• Windows
• Teamwork
• Git
• Mac Os
• Academic Tutoring
• Data Analysis
• G2
• Software Testing
• Ros
• Linux
• Machine Learning
• Robotics
• Unreal Engine