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Pay from SpaceX's own postings

SpaceX Physicist, Astronomer or Optical Engineer Salary

SpaceX's 18 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers post a median $176k/yr, typically $140k–$275k/yr, from 16 distinct pay figures, read from its own job board every hour.

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Against other pay

Every SpaceX role
median $138k/yr
SpaceX's physicists, astronomers and optical engineers: 28% above it
Physicists, astronomers and optical engineers at every space company
median $155k/yr
SpaceX: 14% above it
Every US physicist, May 2025
median $172k/yr
SpaceX's postings: 2% above it
Highest posted top
$285k/yr
Principal Optical Engineer (Starfall)

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.

SpaceX physicist, astronomer or optical engineer pay by level

Level the title namesOpen rolesMedianTypical pay
Senior7$193k/yr$186k–$275k/yr
Principal or fellow1Too few figures
Manager2Too few figures
Title names no level8$140k/yr$135k–$203k/yr

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 SpaceX hires physicists, astronomers and optical engineers

Open SpaceX roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers, highest pay first

Updated 31 Oct 2026, 00:03 UTC

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Questions about SpaceX pay for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers

How much does SpaceX pay physicists, astronomers and optical engineers?

SpaceX's open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers post a median $176k/yr, typically $140k–$275k/yr, from 16 distinct pay figures in 16 of its 18 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 $285k/yr, for Principal Optical Engineer (Starfall).

What does SpaceX pay physicists, astronomers and optical engineers at each level?

By the level each title names: senior: a median $193k/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 SpaceX pay physicists, astronomers and optical engineers more than other space companies?

SpaceX's median, $176k/yr, is 14% above the $155k/yr median of the 138 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers at every space company we read (SpaceX's among them).

Do physicists, astronomers and optical engineers earn more than other roles at SpaceX?

SpaceX's roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers post a median $176k/yr, 28% above the $138k/yr median of all its open roles that state pay (SpaceX salaries compares every kind of work).

How does SpaceX'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); SpaceX's posted median, $176k/yr, is 2% 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 SpaceX hire physicists, astronomers and optical engineers?

Its open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers are in Hawthorne, CA (8), Redmond, WA (5), Palo Alto, CA (3), Austin, TX (1) and Bastrop, TX (1). By place, they post a median of $169k/yr in Hawthorne, CA, $163k/yr in Redmond, WA and $180k/yr in Palo Alto, CA.