Head-to-head
Amazon Leo vs SpaceX
Which pays more, which is easier to get into, and which fits the work you want. Compared on the pay each states, the kind of company, where each hires, and the roles open right now.
Amazon Leo
SpaceXAmazon Leo vs SpaceX, in brief
, the SpaceJobs.Now board shows 720 open Amazon Leo roles at a typical $149k to $229k a year (median $169k) and 2,588 open SpaceX roles at a typical $109k to $245k a year (median $138k).
Amazon Leo pays more on typical work ($149k–$229k/yr typical (live median $169k/yr) vs SpaceX's $109k–$245k/yr typical (live median $138k/yr)), and the rates both boards post leave little doubt.
What we know does not show which of the two hires more of the people who apply. Amazon Leo works in space data and services; SpaceX in launch and propulsion.
Both hire for Avionics, RF & Payloads, Technicians, Launch & Ops, and Programs & Business; Amazon Leo also covers Flight Software, Software & IT, and Systems & Test; SpaceX also covers Propulsion.
Right now SpaceX has more live roles (2,588 vs 720).
Bottom line: Amazon Leo pays more, so pick Amazon Leo for the higher rate, or SpaceX if its specific work fits you better.
| Amazon Leo | SpaceX | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical pay | $149k–$229k/yr typical (live median $169k/yr) | $109k–$245k/yr typical (live median $138k/yr) |
| Type of company | Space data & services · A low Earth orbit broadband constellation (Amazon's, formerly Project Kuiper) | Launch & propulsion · Launch and satellite broadband |
| Kinds of work | Avionics, RF & Payloads, Flight Software, Software & IT, Systems & Test, Technicians, Launch & Ops, and Programs & Business | Propulsion, Technicians, Launch & Ops, Avionics, RF & Payloads, and Programs & Business |
| Where it hires | Redmond, Bellevue and Seattle, WA; Arlington, VA; San Diego, CA; Arizona; Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia | Hawthorne, CA; Bastrop and Starbase, TX; Redmond, WA; plus launch and test sites in Florida, California and Texas |
| Open roles now | 720 live | 2,588 live |
| Employee ratings | See its review | See its review |
Pay shows each employer's live measured band where its board has enough roles that state pay, otherwise our compiled benchmark. How we compile pay.
Amazon Leo vs SpaceX salary by profession
The median of what each employer's open roles of the same work post, from its own job board. Each figure opens that employer's salary page for the work, by level and by site.
| Profession | Amazon Leo | SpaceX |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $169k/yr (128 roles) | $163k/yr (339 roles) |
| Electrical Engineer | $162k/yr (85 roles) | $140k/yr (206 roles) |
| Test Engineer | $160k/yr (69 roles) | $133k/yr (80 roles) |
| Program or Project Manager | $175k/yr (68 roles) | $118k/yr (50 roles) |
| RF or Communications Engineer | $178k/yr (58 roles) | $173k/yr (73 roles) |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $161k/yr (42 roles) | $130k/yr (138 roles) |
| Systems Engineer | $178k/yr (37 roles) | $141k/yr (31 roles) |
| Quality Engineer or Inspector | $162k/yr (35 roles) | $130k/yr (193 roles) |
| Supply Chain Professional | $162k/yr (35 roles) | $124k/yr (222 roles) |
| Sales or Business Development Professional | $169k/yr (24 roles) | $150k/yr (109 roles) |
| Mechanical Engineer | $160k/yr (22 roles) | $130k/yr (132 roles) |
| Technician | $90k/yr (19 roles) | $62.4k/yr (228 roles) |
| Data Scientist or Machine Learning Engineer | $169k/yr (15 roles) | $163k/yr (98 roles) |
| Mission or Launch Operations Engineer | $151k/yr (11 roles) | $130k/yr (72 roles) |
| IT Professional | $178k/yr (10 roles) | $125k/yr (63 roles) |
Best for people looking for Avionics and RF & Payloads roles, with higher pay.
See 720 open roles →Best for people looking for Propulsion and Technicians roles.
See 2,588 open roles →Amazon Leo and SpaceX in our research
What the two employers' open postings on 4 Nov 2026 show, measured the same way for both by our space industry research, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the row of the report it comes from.
| Measure | Amazon Leo | SpaceX |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles | 718 | 2,582 |
| Share of all open space roles | 3.8% | 13.8% |
| Posted in the last 30 days | 187 | 563 |
| Posted this week | 59 | 170 |
| Taken down this week | 84 | 176 |
| Open roles with a known posting date | 718 | 2,582 |
| Half of its postings come down within (days) | 30 | 104 |
| Kinds of work hiring | 14 | 14 |
| Open only to US persons or citizens | 87.3% | 100.0% |
| Name a security clearance | 5.0% | 7.7% |
| Take a diploma or an associate's degree | 3.8% | 26.3% |
| Name a master's or PhD | 33.6% | 16.3% |
| Postings that count military experience | 8 | 25 |
| SkillBridge internships | 0 | 0 |
| Postings that state pay | 93.5% | 53.4% |
| Median posted pay a year | $169,000 | $138,000 |
| Starter roles (internships, new graduate, entry level) | 2 | 57 |
| Starter roles' share of its open roles | 0.3% | 2.2% |
| Internships and co-ops | 0 | 12 |
| Ask for weekend work | 4.6% | 90.0% |
| Ask for overtime or extended hours | 2.1% | 88.8% |
| Name an evening, night or rotating shift | 2.4% | 8.4% |
| State a share of time traveling | 4.9% | 25.7% |
| Postings that offer relocation | 5 | 14 |
| Postings that say no relocation is offered | 0 | 0 |
| H-1B visa applications certified (Department of Labor) | n/a | 28 |
| Green card (PERM) certifications (Department of Labor) | n/a | 3 |
| Applications asking citizenship or U.S. person status | n/a | 99.5% |
| Applications asking about a security clearance | n/a | 99.1% |
| Applications asking a GPA | n/a | 79.1% |
| Applications asking SAT, ACT or GRE scores | n/a | 79.1% |
| Applications asking salary expectations | n/a | 0.0% |
| Applications asking about past work or interviews there | n/a | 99.5% |
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Amazon Leo vs SpaceX: common questions
Which pays more, Amazon Leo or SpaceX?
Amazon Leo pays more on typical work ($149k–$229k/yr typical (live median $169k/yr) vs SpaceX's $109k–$245k/yr typical (live median $138k/yr)), and the rates both boards post leave little doubt.
Is Amazon Leo or SpaceX easier to get hired at?
What we know does not show which of the two hires more of the people who apply. Amazon Leo works in space data and services; SpaceX in launch and propulsion.
More comparisons
Sorted by the expected value of applying to the stronger employer in each pair. A referral agreement, if an employer has one, can raise it here but never changes its salary.