Key findings
- 4
Senior roles posted the highest median pay at Stoke Space ($228,000), Muon Space ($203,000) and Johns Hopkins APL ($198,000).
Figure 1
The space industry's career ladder: open roles and posted pay by level
How much do space industry jobs pay at each level, from intern to director?
| Level the title names | Open roles | Median posted pay a year |
|---|---|---|
| Intern or co-op | 546 | $60,300 |
| Entry, associate or level I | 473 | $98,100 |
| Level II | 830 | $112,000 |
| Level III | 558 | $137,000 |
| Level IV and above | 191 | $162,000 |
| Senior | 2,990 | $165,000 |
| Lead | 565 | $169,000 |
| Staff | 385 | $193,000 |
| Principal or fellow | 530 | $182,000 |
| Manager | 1,472 | $168,000 |
| Senior manager | 129 | $204,000 |
| Director, head or vice president | 454 | $224,000 |
| No level in the title | 6,725 | $130,000 |
Sample. 15,848 roles open on 30 Oct 2026, 9,123 of them with a level in the title.
A title counts once, at the first level that applies in the order of the table from the intern down to the director and back to the numbered levels: "Senior Manager" is a senior manager, "Lead Engineer II" a lead.
A numbered level counts only right after a role word or "Level" ("Engineer II", "Technician 3", "Level 4-5" at its lowest); a number on its own in a title is as often a site or a shift.
Pay is the board's: a posting's figure as a year's pay (the middle of a stated range), counted once per distinct figure; typical pay is the board's band.
Source. SpaceJobs.Now Research, Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director, read 30 Oct 2026.
Figure 2
Posted pay by level, by kind of work
How much more does a senior or staff title pay in each line of space work?
| Kind of work | Entry or level I | Levels II and III | Senior | Staff or principal | Open roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programs & Business | $91,000 | $110,000 | $145,000 | $169,000 | 2,351 |
| Manufacturing & Technicians | $66,400 | $76,700 | $130,000 | $188,000 | 2,156 |
| Systems, Integration & Test | $100,000 | $129,000 | $164,000 | $183,000 | 1,966 |
| Ground Software & IT | $108,000 | $133,000 | $185,000 | $207,000 | 1,813 |
| Mechanical, Structures & Thermal | $100,000 | $130,000 | $165,000 | $188,000 | 1,412 |
| Avionics & Electrical | $100,000 | $130,000 | $178,000 | $191,000 | 1,195 |
| Supply Chain & Facilities | $57,500 | $86,300 | $128,000 | $154,000 | 1,158 |
| Quality & Mission Assurance | $94,600 | $99,800 | $145,000 | $166,000 | 848 |
| Flight Software & GNC | $111,000 | $141,000 | $190,000 | $205,000 | 829 |
| RF, Communications & Payloads | $100,000 | $132,000 | $187,000 | $202,000 | 623 |
| Launch & Mission Operations | $113,000 | $129,000 | $155,000 | $158,000 | 484 |
| Propulsion & Engines | $103,000 | $130,000 | $165,000 | $205,000 | 369 |
| Science, Imaging & Earth Data | $108,000 | $130,000 | $164,000 | $185,000 | 315 |
Sample. 15,848 roles open on 30 Oct 2026.
Each cell is the median posted pay a year of the kind's roles at that level; a cell with too few distinct pay figures to form the board's band is left empty.
"Senior titles and above": senior, lead, staff, principal, manager, senior manager and director.
Source. SpaceJobs.Now Research, Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director, read 30 Oct 2026.
Figure 3
Levels and posted pay, employer by employer
Which space companies name levels in their titles, and what do their senior roles pay?
| Employer | Senior titles and above | Median pay, levels I to III | Median pay, senior | Open roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | 35.4% | $130,000 | $193,000 | 2,268 |
| Blue Origin | 40.6% | $134,000 | $188,000 | 1,450 |
| Lockheed Martin | 40.0% | $113,000 | $137,000 | 953 |
| Amazon Leo | 52.5% | $152,000 | $187,000 | 686 |
| Northrop Grumman | 45.3% | $112,000 | n/a | 543 |
| Rocket Lab | 52.8% | $103,000 | $144,000 | 494 |
| The Aerospace Corporation | 34.2% | n/a | n/a | 424 |
| Relativity Space | 54.8% | $113,000 | $155,000 | 383 |
| Thales Alenia Space | 12.9% | n/a | n/a | 334 |
| CesiumAstro | 72.7% | $119,000 | $147,000 | 282 |
| AST SpaceMobile | 26.9% | $59,800 | n/a | 253 |
| Viasat | 50.6% | n/a | $181,000 | 251 |
| OHB | 26.0% | n/a | n/a | 227 |
| K2 Space | 61.5% | n/a | $160,000 | 213 |
| Impulse Space | 42.9% | $149,000 | $160,000 | 210 |
| Amentum | 18.8% | $78,800 | $116,000 | 208 |
| ArianeGroup | 2.0% | n/a | n/a | 203 |
| True Anomaly | 51.5% | $115,000 | $180,000 | 200 |
| Vast | 35.3% | $120,000 | $166,000 | 187 |
| Boeing | 50.5% | $114,000 | $139,000 | 186 |
| Astranis | 30.4% | $100,000 | $185,000 | 181 |
| ICEYE | 56.5% | n/a | n/a | 177 |
| Airbus Defence and Space | 18.0% | n/a | n/a | 172 |
| Sierra Space | 46.5% | $105,000 | $163,000 | 172 |
| KBR | 30.0% | $113,000 | $168,000 | 170 |
| Voyager Technologies | 36.7% | $114,000 | $153,000 | 169 |
| L3Harris | 66.0% | $95,900 | $132,000 | 156 |
| Muon Space | 66.2% | $163,000 | $203,000 | 136 |
| United Launch Alliance | 3.7% | $114,000 | n/a | 134 |
| Isar Aerospace | 35.3% | n/a | n/a | 133 |
| Vantor | 45.0% | n/a | $149,000 | 131 |
| Apex | 38.6% | n/a | $180,000 | 127 |
| Axiom Space | 40.8% | n/a | n/a | 125 |
| Firefly Aerospace | 23.1% | n/a | n/a | 121 |
| SES | 49.6% | n/a | $151,000 | 119 |
| Varda Space Industries | 49.6% | $146,000 | $163,000 | 119 |
| NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | 16.1% | $124,000 | $148,000 | 118 |
| Ursa Major | 56.5% | $92,500 | $128,000 | 115 |
| BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems | 70.8% | $107,000 | $131,000 | 113 |
| The Exploration Company | 37.5% | n/a | n/a | 112 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | 28.3% | n/a | $142,000 | 106 |
| E-Space | 56.6% | n/a | $170,000 | 106 |
| Planet | 61.5% | n/a | $172,000 | 96 |
| Teledyne | 39.4% | n/a | $113,000 | 94 |
| Inversion Space | 67.5% | $128,000 | $165,000 | 83 |
| CACI | 32.1% | $76,400 | $147,000 | 78 |
| Virgin Galactic | 42.3% | $136,000 | $164,000 | 78 |
| Intuitive Machines | 24.7% | n/a | n/a | 77 |
| Anduril | 52.6% | n/a | $195,000 | 76 |
| Eutelsat | 36.8% | n/a | n/a | 76 |
| RTX | 52.6% | $110,000 | $126,000 | 76 |
| Stoke Space | 24.0% | n/a | $228,000 | 75 |
| Cowboy Space | 49.2% | $121,000 | $178,000 | 65 |
| Loft Orbital | 38.5% | n/a | $185,000 | 65 |
| ispace | 46.8% | n/a | n/a | 62 |
| Northwood Space | 42.4% | n/a | $171,000 | 59 |
| AeroVironment (AV) | 64.2% | n/a | $121,000 | 53 |
| Iridium | 65.4% | $105,000 | $134,000 | 52 |
| Telesat | 51.9% | n/a | n/a | 52 |
| Xona Space Systems | 35.3% | n/a | $185,000 | 51 |
| Moog | 42.0% | $71,800 | $138,000 | 50 |
| Leidos | 28.3% | n/a | n/a | 46 |
| Exotrail | 22.7% | n/a | n/a | 44 |
| Rocket Factory Augsburg | 27.3% | n/a | n/a | 44 |
| Astrolab | 55.8% | n/a | $146,000 | 43 |
| Astroscale | 39.5% | n/a | n/a | 43 |
| Redwire | 65.0% | n/a | $125,000 | 40 |
| Star Catcher | 40.0% | n/a | n/a | 40 |
| BlackSky | 83.8% | n/a | $143,000 | 37 |
| Astra | 58.3% | n/a | $160,000 | 36 |
| European Space Agency (ESA) | 36.1% | n/a | n/a | 36 |
| Open Cosmos | 30.6% | n/a | n/a | 36 |
| Johns Hopkins APL | 11.4% | n/a | $198,000 | 35 |
| Array Labs | 54.5% | n/a | $168,000 | 33 |
| HyImpulse | 39.4% | n/a | n/a | 33 |
| Lunar Outpost | 54.5% | n/a | n/a | 33 |
| Spire Global | 56.3% | n/a | n/a | 32 |
| US Space Force | 12.5% | n/a | n/a | 32 |
| ClearSpace | 37.9% | n/a | n/a | 29 |
| Foundational | 37.9% | n/a | n/a | 29 |
| Terran Orbital | 50.0% | n/a | $140,000 | 28 |
| Venus Aerospace | 46.4% | n/a | n/a | 28 |
| Katalyst Space Technologies | 55.6% | $125,000 | $163,000 | 27 |
| LeoLabs | 63.0% | n/a | $190,000 | 27 |
| Constellr | 40.0% | n/a | n/a | 25 |
| Umbra | 68.0% | n/a | $180,000 | 25 |
| Dawn Aerospace | 20.8% | n/a | n/a | 24 |
| Skylo | 79.2% | n/a | n/a | 24 |
| Elveo Mobile | 26.1% | n/a | n/a | 23 |
| Quantum Space | 26.1% | $125,000 | n/a | 23 |
| Kepler Communications | 59.1% | n/a | n/a | 22 |
| Parsons | 31.8% | n/a | $175,000 | 22 |
| Rendezvous Robotics | 18.2% | n/a | n/a | 22 |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems | 38.1% | n/a | $162,000 | 21 |
| Portal Space Systems | 76.2% | n/a | $175,000 | 21 |
| HawkEye 360 | 65.0% | n/a | $149,000 | 20 |
| Gravitics | 63.2% | n/a | $149,000 | 19 |
| General Galactic | 27.8% | n/a | n/a | 18 |
| GITAI | 41.2% | n/a | $178,000 | 17 |
| Hemeria | 0.0% | n/a | n/a | 17 |
| Quindar | 52.9% | n/a | $160,000 | 17 |
| Reflect Orbital | 41.2% | n/a | n/a | 17 |
| Blue Canyon Technologies | 56.3% | $63,400 | n/a | 16 |
| Hubble Network | 68.8% | n/a | $163,000 | 16 |
| Reflex Aerospace | 18.8% | n/a | n/a | 16 |
| Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) | 43.8% | n/a | n/a | 16 |
| Sidus Space | 40.0% | n/a | n/a | 15 |
| Turion Space | 53.3% | n/a | n/a | 15 |
| AstroForge | 7.1% | n/a | n/a | 14 |
| Loft Federal | 50.0% | n/a | n/a | 14 |
| Outpost | 71.4% | n/a | $198,000 | 14 |
| Satellogic | 14.3% | n/a | n/a | 14 |
| SEAKR Engineering | 50.0% | $110,000 | $158,000 | 14 |
| Synspective | 21.4% | n/a | n/a | 14 |
| Benchmark Space Systems | 7.7% | n/a | n/a | 13 |
| Trinzic | 15.4% | n/a | n/a | 13 |
| Capella Space | 91.7% | n/a | $90,700 | 12 |
| Starfish Space | 33.3% | n/a | n/a | 12 |
| Leaf Space | 36.4% | n/a | n/a | 11 |
| Slingshot Aerospace | 63.6% | n/a | $160,000 | 11 |
| NewOrbit Space | 30.0% | n/a | n/a | 10 |
| Spaceium | 0.0% | n/a | n/a | 10 |
| Kymeta | 88.9% | n/a | $165,000 | 9 |
| Momentus | 55.6% | n/a | n/a | 9 |
| Peraton | 11.1% | n/a | n/a | 9 |
| Redwire Space Europe | 55.6% | n/a | n/a | 9 |
| Exolaunch | 37.5% | n/a | n/a | 8 |
| Mission Control Space Services | 75.0% | n/a | n/a | 8 |
| MITRE | 75.0% | n/a | n/a | 8 |
| Sophia SpaceSmall sample | 66.7% | n/a | n/a | 6 |
| AlbedoSmall sample | 100.0% | n/a | n/a | 5 |
| HyPrSpaceSmall sample | 20.0% | n/a | n/a | 5 |
| NASASmall sample | 20.0% | n/a | n/a | 5 |
| SpaceWorks EnterprisesSmall sample | 40.0% | n/a | n/a | 5 |
| Orbit FabSmall sample | 75.0% | n/a | n/a | 4 |
| Epsilon3Small sample | 66.7% | n/a | n/a | 3 |
| Revolution SpaceSmall sample | 66.7% | n/a | n/a | 3 |
| Overview EnergySmall sample | 50.0% | n/a | n/a | 2 |
| Vaya SpaceSmall sample | 50.0% | n/a | n/a | 2 |
| ArianespaceSmall sample | 100.0% | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| Exos AerospaceSmall sample | 0.0% | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| GHGSatSmall sample | 100.0% | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| ThrustMeSmall sample | 0.0% | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| VyomaSmall sample | 0.0% | n/a | n/a | 1 |
Sample. 15,848 roles open on 30 Oct 2026 at 144 employers.
Rows with fewer than 7.4 open roles are marked as a small sample and not ranked: below that the average of the rows weighs more than a row's own open roles (the weight fitted on the rows' own counts).
Source. SpaceJobs.Now Research, Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director, read 30 Oct 2026.
Figure 4
Posted pay at space companies against the national wage, by profession
Do space companies pay more than the national wage for the same occupation?
| Profession | Open space roles | Median posted pay a year | National median wage, May 2025 | Posted pay above (or below) it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineers | 1,681 | $169,000 | $135,980 | +24.3% |
| Electrical engineers | 1,411 | $157,000 | $120,630 | +30.2% |
| Mechanical engineers | 1,101 | $145,000 | $104,110 | +39.3% |
| Technicians | 1,009 | $73,800 | $82,890 | -11.0% |
| Supply chain professionals | 704 | $116,000 | $82,320 | +40.9% |
| RF and communications engineers | 522 | $173,000 | $130,220 | +32.9% |
| Propulsion engineers | 515 | $145,000 | $134,960 | +7.4% |
| GNC engineers | 319 | $171,000 | $134,960 | +26.7% |
| Data scientists and machine learning engineers | 304 | $163,000 | $120,230 | +35.6% |
| Cybersecurity experts | 275 | $163,000 | $129,180 | +26.2% |
| Machinists | 222 | $93,600 | $58,750 | +59.3% |
| Physicists, astronomers and optical engineers | 138 | $155,000 | $172,250 | -10.0% |
| Materials engineers and chemists | 137 | $143,000 | $112,860 | +26.7% |
| Welders | 117 | $88,400 | $53,750 | +64.5% |
| Aerospace engineers | 68 | $162,000 | $134,960 | +20.0% |
Sample. 15,848 roles open on 30 Oct 2026, each profession's by its own title rule; the national wages are BLS's for May 2025.
Posted pay is what open space roles advertise (the middle of a stated range, as a year's pay); the national wage is what everyone employed in the occupation earned, at every level and in every industry. Open space roles lean senior (the ladder above), so part of a gap is level, not employer.
A profession whose open roles state too few distinct pay figures has no median, and no gap is stated for it.
Several professions belong to one occupation: propulsion and guidance engineers are counted by BLS as aerospace engineers.
Sources. BLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: software developersBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: electrical engineersBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: mechanical engineersBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: aerospace engineering and operations technologists and techniciansBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: logisticiansBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: electronics engineers, except computerBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: aerospace engineersBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: data scientistsBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: information security analystsBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: machinistsBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: physicistsBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: materials engineersBLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0: welders, cutters, solderers and brazers
Source. SpaceJobs.Now Research, Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director, read 30 Oct 2026.
Figure 5
Posted pay at space companies against the local wage, by profession and metro area
Do space companies pay more than the going wage for the same occupation in the same city?
Sample. The 40 profession and metro area pairs with the most open roles on 30 Oct 2026 whose roles state enough pay for a median and whose occupation BLS publishes for the area.
The local wage is what everyone employed in the occupation in the metro area earned in May 2025, at every level and in every industry (BLS by metropolitan area); posted pay is what the open space roles there advertise. Open space roles lean senior, so part of a gap is level, not employer.
A metro area is a metropolitan statistical area as the Census Bureau draws it; a role naming towns in two areas counts in each.
Sources. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics by metropolitan area, May 2025
Source. SpaceJobs.Now Research, Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director, read 30 Oct 2026.
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Method and definitions
Every open role on the space employers' public job boards this site reads, its title read for the level it names and its posting for the pay it states, once a day. Every figure is computed by one database query over the window shown, the same query for the live report and for every edition. Each figure states its sample beneath it.
- Level named in the title
- The first level the title names, from an internship to a director; a numbered level counts only right after a role word or "Level" ("Engineer II", "Technician 3").
- Senior titles and above
- Senior, lead, staff, principal, manager, senior manager and director.
What this data cannot tell you
- Employers name levels differently: one company's level III can be another's senior, so compare levels within an employer first.
- Many titles name no level (most of SpaceX's); those roles are a row of their own, never assigned a level.
- Pay is what postings state; bonuses and equity are often outside it.
How the job feeds are read and roles are classified: site methodology. How fresh, complete and consistent the data is, checked every day: data quality and coverage.
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Free to quote, chart and republish under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page. Live figures change daily: cite a monthly edition for numbers that will read the same later, or keep the access date.
Citation
SpaceJobs.Now (2026). Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director (live data, 3 Oct 2026 to 30 Oct 2026). https://spacejobs.now/research/space-career-levels-and-pay (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
BibTeX
@misc{spacejobsnow_space_career_levels_and_pay_live,
author = {{SpaceJobs.Now}},
title = {Space Industry Salaries by Level: From Intern to Director (live data, 3 Oct 2026 to 30 Oct 2026)},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://spacejobs.now/research/space-career-levels-and-pay}},
note = {Accessed 31 Oct 2026},
}More research
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