Learn
Space careers, explained.
Rockets, satellites and the ground systems behind them are designed, built and flown by engineers, technicians, software developers, operators and many more. These guides explain how the industry hires: who the employers are, what the work pays, which rules decide who may apply, and the paths into engineering and technician roles. When you are ready, browse the open roles.
- How to get a job in the space industry (2026)
- Space industry salaries: what space jobs pay (2026)
- How to become an aerospace engineer (and what a rocket scientist actually does)
- How to become an aerospace technician (space, launch and satellites)
- ITAR, export controls and security clearances in space jobs, explained
- Propulsion & Engines
- Mechanical, Structures & Thermal
- Avionics & Electrical
- RF, Communications & Payloads
- Flight Software & GNC
- Ground Software & IT
- Systems, Integration & Test
- Manufacturing & Technicians
- Launch & Mission Operations
- Quality & Mission Assurance
- Science, Imaging & Earth Data
- Supply Chain & Facilities
- Programs & Business
Pay figures come from the live open roles wherever enough of them state a rate, and from the dated benchmark otherwiseupdated 29 Oct 2026, 13:40 UTC
Guides
How the space industry hires, in depth.
Each guide is researched from the employers' own pages, government data and the regulations themselves, with every figure linked to its source.
How to get a job in the space industry (2026)
Who hires in space, how many jobs exist and where, what employers screen for, the citizenship line, and a step-by-step plan to get hired in the space industry.
48 min read
Space industry salaries: what space jobs pay (2026)
What aerospace engineers, technicians and NASA staff earn in 2026, from BLS May 2025 wages, OPM pay tables and real ranges posted by SpaceX and other employers.
51 min read
How to become an aerospace engineer (and what a rocket scientist actually does)
What aerospace engineers really do, the disciplines inside space companies, degrees, a master's or PhD, the FE and PE, tools, projects, internships and a plan.
59 min read
How to become an aerospace technician (space, launch and satellites)
What space technicians do, which certifications employers ask for, where to train and how to get hired without a degree, from 2026 postings and BLS data.
53 min read
ITAR, export controls and security clearances in space jobs, explained
Why space jobs say U.S. person or U.S. citizen: ITAR and EAR rules, deemed exports, the SpaceX case, how clearances work and how long they take, and visa paths.
53 min read
The map
The kinds of space work.
Every kind of work on the board falls into a family, sorted by what you bring to it. Find the family that fits your background, then open a guide to see if the work is for you.
Design & engineer
Engineer the rockets, spacecraft and the systems inside them.
You design, analyze and prove the vehicle itself: its engines, structures, electronics, radios, software and the way they work together. Nearly every role here asks for an engineering, physics or computer science degree, and the employers value hands-on hardware projects as much as grades.
Designing, building and test-firing the engines, motors and thrusters that move rockets and spacecraft.
Designing and analyzing a vehicle's structures, tanks, mechanisms and thermal control so it survives launch and space.
Avionics & Electrical
MediumDesigning the flight computers, power systems, circuit boards and wiring that run a rocket or spacecraft.
Designing the antennas, radios, signal processing and payloads that let satellites communicate, sense and image.
Writing the software and algorithms that fly a rocket or spacecraft, from embedded code to guidance and orbit control.
Make sure every part of a rocket or satellite works together, then prove it on the ground before it flies.
Build, test & fly
Make the hardware with your hands, check it and fly it.
You build what the engineers design, inspect it, move it to the pad and fly it: technicians, machinists, welders, inspectors, launch crews and flight controllers. Many of these roles are hourly and open without a degree, through a certificate, an apprenticeship or military experience.
Build rockets and satellites by hand and machine: machining, welding, composites, harnesses and assembly.
Run the launch pad, the countdown and the spacecraft in orbit, often on shifts around the clock.
Check that every part is built right and every site is safe, from inspection and NDT to mission assurance and EHS.
Software, data & the business
Run the ground systems, the data and the company around the missions.
You build the software on the ground, turn what satellites see into data people buy, keep the factory supplied and run the programs, contracts and money. Your background can come from outside aerospace: software, data science, logistics, finance and program management all transfer.
Ground Software & IT
MediumWrite and run the software, networks and IT systems that operate satellites, factories and launch sites.
Turn satellite images and sensor data into maps, measurements and intelligence, and help design the instruments.
Buy, plan, store, ship and maintain everything a space company needs, and keep its plants and launch sites running.
Programs & Business
MediumPlan, fund, sell and staff space programs: program management, scheduling, finance, contracts and export control.
Free tools
Check an offer. Work out the pay.
Not sure where to start?
Pick by what you already have.
You are starting out
Who hires in space, where the jobs are, what employers screen for and how applications and interviews work, step by step.
Start with the job guide →You have, or are studying for, an engineering degree
The disciplines inside a launch or spacecraft company, the degrees and projects employers value, and how engineers progress.
See the engineer path →You build things with your hands
Technicians assemble, wire, test and launch the hardware. The certificates, programs and apprenticeships that lead there, without a degree.
See the technician path →