Pay from Lockheed Martin's own postings
Lockheed Martin Physicist, Astronomer or Optical Engineer Salary
Lockheed Martin's 13 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers post a median $194k/yr, typically $158k–$280k/yr, from 11 distinct pay figures, read from its own job board every hour.
Against other pay
- Every Lockheed Martin role
- median $137k/yr
- Lockheed Martin's physicists, astronomers and optical engineers: 42% above it
- Physicists, astronomers and optical engineers at every space company
- median $158k/yr
- Lockheed Martin: 23% above it
- Highest posted top
- $344k/yr
- Electro-Optical Engineer Senior Staff
Typical pay is the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each posted range, as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours, 40 a week for 52 weeks) to the 90th-percentile posted top. Pay is compared as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours (40 a week for 52 weeks), a weekly one at 52 weeks, a monthly one at 12 months. A posting that names only a ceiling ("up to $X") is left out of the figures.
Lockheed Martin physicist, astronomer or optical engineer pay by level
| Level the title names | Open roles | Median | Typical pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level II | 1 | Too few figures | |
| Senior | 4 | $158k/yr | $158k–$205k/yr |
| Staff | 7 | $194k/yr | $194k–$312k/yr |
| Manager | 1 | Too few figures |
A level is read from the title, the first that applies from an internship to a director (the reading of our research on career levels and pay). A figure needs three distinct posted rates.
Where Lockheed Martin hires physicists, astronomers and optical engineers
- Louisville, CO7 roles, median $176k/yr
- Littleton, CO2 roles
- Sunnyvale, CA2 roles
- Highlands Ranch, CO1 role
- Titusville, FL1 role
Open Lockheed Martin roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers, highest pay first
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 18:02 UTC
Electro-Optical Engineer Senior Staff (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Sunnyvale, CA, United States· 3w agoDetails
$185,400–$344,400/yrElectro-Optical Engineer Staff (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Sunnyvale, CA, United States· 2w agoDetails
$150,800–$280,000/yrElectro-Optical Engineer Staff (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Avionics · Louisville, CO, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$135,700–$251,900/yrElectro-Optical Engineer Staff (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Highlands Ranch, CO, United States· 2w agoDetails
$135,700–$251,900/yrElectro-Optical Engineer Staff IV (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Avionics · Louisville, CO, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$135,700–$251,900/yrElectro-Optical Engineer, Staff - E4 (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Littleton, CO, United States· 2mo agoDetails
$135,700–$251,900/yrOptical Engineer Staff (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Louisville, CO, United States· 2w agoDetails
$135,700–$251,900/yrElectro-Optical Engineer Senior (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Louisville, CO, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$110,300–$204,900/yrElectro-Optical Engineer Senior (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Avionics · Louisville, CO, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$110,300–$204,900/yrOptical Engineer Senior (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Littleton, CO, United States· 2d agoDetails
$110,300–$204,900/yrQuantum Electro-Optical Engineer Sr (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Louisville, CO, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$110,300–$204,900/yrSystems Engineer, Associate Manager - Flight Test Optics (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · Titusville, FL· 1mo agoDetails
$104,900–$194,700/yrOptical Engineer II (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Science & Data · Louisville, CO, United States· 2d agoDetails
$91,200–$169,400/yr
More Lockheed Martin salaries by profession
- Systems Engineer, median $150k/yr
- Software Engineer, median $158k/yr
- Program or Project Manager, median $150k/yr
- Electrical Engineer, median $158k/yr
- Supply Chain Professional, median $116k/yr
- Mechanical Engineer, median $137k/yr
- Test Engineer, median $137k/yr
- Quality Engineer or Inspector, median $104k/yr
- Technician, median $71.8k/yr
- Manufacturing Engineer, median $122k/yr
- Finance or Accounting Professional, median $116k/yr
- GNC Engineer, median $158k/yr
Physicist, Astronomer or Optical Engineer salaries at other space companies
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Questions about Lockheed Martin pay for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers
How much does Lockheed Martin pay physicists, astronomers and optical engineers?
Lockheed Martin's open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers post a median $194k/yr, typically $158k–$280k/yr, from 11 distinct pay figures in 13 of its 13 postings. Typical pay here is the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each posted range, as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours, 40 a week for 52 weeks) to the 90th-percentile posted top. The highest posted top is $344k/yr, for Electro-Optical Engineer Senior Staff.
What does Lockheed Martin pay physicists, astronomers and optical engineers at each level?
By the level each title names: senior: a median $158k/yr (4 roles); staff: a median $194k/yr (7 roles). A level is read from the title ("Engineer II", "Senior", "Lead"); titles that name none are left out of this answer.
Does Lockheed Martin pay physicists, astronomers and optical engineers more than other space companies?
Lockheed Martin's median, $194k/yr, is 23% above the $158k/yr median of the 155 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers at every space company we read (Lockheed Martin's among them).
Do physicists, astronomers and optical engineers earn more than other roles at Lockheed Martin?
Lockheed Martin's roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers post a median $194k/yr, 42% above the $137k/yr median of all its open roles that state pay (Lockheed Martin salaries compares every kind of work).
How does Lockheed Martin's pay for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers compare with the national wage?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage of physicists at $172k/yr (May 2025); Lockheed Martin's posted median, $194k/yr, is 13% above it. A posting states what a new hire is offered, the national figure what everyone in the occupation earns, so the two measure different people. Source: BLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0.
Where does Lockheed Martin hire physicists, astronomers and optical engineers?
Its open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers are in Louisville, CO (7), Littleton, CO (2), Sunnyvale, CA (2), Highlands Ranch, CO (1) and Titusville, FL (1).