Salaries
Space industry salaries, straight from the postings
Salary ranges that rocket, satellite and spacecraft companies write into their own postings, read every night: for every profession, the spread of those ranges, what each employer and each state offers, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage for comparison. One employer's range is counted once, so a company that posts the same role many times cannot tilt a figure.
6,038
Postings stating a salary- Open jobs read11,730
- Matched to a profession9,245
- Stating a salary6,038
27
Professions with a salary page- Software engineer$169k/yr
- Electrical engineer$160k/yr
- Systems engineer$155k/yr
- Mechanical engineer$149k/yr
- Program manager$162k/yr
- Test engineer$144k/yr
- Manufacturing engineer$137k/yr
- Quality engineer$130k/yr
- Supply chain professional$118k/yr
- RF engineer$174k/yr
The 10 jobs with the most pay stated, with the median each posts, of 27. A job has a page while at least 8 of its open jobs from 3 employers state pay.
123
State pages- Software engineer10 state pages
- Electrical engineer9 state pages
- Mechanical engineer9 state pages
- Systems engineer9 state pages
- Program manager8 state pages
- Quality engineer7 state pages
- Test engineer6 state pages
- Manufacturing engineer5 state pages
- Sales professional5 state pages
- Supply chain professional5 state pages
73 on the 10 jobs shown, 50 on 17 more: 123 in all. A state has a page for a job while at least 8 of its open jobs there, from 3 employers, state a rate.
309
Employer pages- Software engineer33 employer pages
- Systems engineer29 employer pages
- Electrical engineer28 employer pages
- Mechanical engineer27 employer pages
- Program manager20 employer pages
- Test engineer19 employer pages
- Manufacturing engineer15 employer pages
- Quality engineer14 employer pages
- RF engineer14 employer pages
- Propulsion engineer13 employer pages
212 on the 10 jobs shown, 97 on 16 more: 309 in all. An employer has a page for a job while it states a rate on at least 5 of its open jobs in it.
Measured 7 Nov 2026, 11:06 UTC
Propulsion pay
Rocket propulsion and engine jobs →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Propulsion engineer | $148k | $126k–$173k | n/a | 201 |
| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace engineer | $165k | $149k–$191k | n/a | 21 |
| Mechanical engineer | $149k | $130k–$174k | n/a | 524 |
| Materials engineer | $150k | $126k–$178k | n/a | 45 |
| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical engineer | $160k | $135k–$185k | n/a | 626 |
RF & Payloads pay
RF, communications and payload jobs in space →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF engineer | $174k | $150k–$202k | n/a | 254 |
Flight Software pay
Flight software and GNC jobs →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNC engineer | $167k | $144k–$193k | n/a | 163 |
Software & IT pay
Ground software and IT jobs in space →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineer | $169k | $148k–$200k | n/a | 881 |
| Cybersecurity expert | $165k | $132k–$187k | n/a | 122 |
| IT professional | $131k | $108k–$161k | n/a | 86 |
Systems & Test pay
Systems engineering, integration and test jobs in space →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems engineer | $155k | $131k–$178k | n/a | 557 |
| Test engineer | $144k | $125k–$169k | n/a | 357 |
Technicians pay
Space manufacturing and technician jobs →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing engineer | $137k | $120k–$161k | n/a | 322 |
| Technician | $73.9k | $59.8k–$84k | n/a | 128 |
| Machinist | $111k | $81.5k–$138k | n/a | 36 |
Launch & Ops pay
Launch and mission operations jobs →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission operations engineer | $142k | $122k–$160k | n/a | 134 |
| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality engineer | $130k | $106k–$158k | n/a | 312 |
Science & Data pay
Space science, imaging and Earth data jobs →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicist | $165k | $136k–$192k | n/a | 43 |
| Data scientist | $163k | $134k–$193k | n/a | 80 |
Supply Chain pay
Supply chain and facilities jobs in space →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply chain professional | $118k | $96.9k–$145k | n/a | 267 |
Programs & Business pay
Program management and business jobs in space →| Profession | Median posted, a year | Middle half | BLS median, a year | Postings with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program manager | $162k | $135k–$187k | n/a | 368 |
| Product manager | $178k | $162k–$200k | n/a | 57 |
| Sales professional | $168k | $137k–$208k | n/a | 135 |
| Finance professional | $135k | $115k–$163k | n/a | 121 |
| HR professional | $125k | $104k–$145k | n/a | 73 |
| Security professional | $122k | $108k–$148k | n/a | 56 |
| Legal professional | $164k | $125k–$218k | n/a | 64 |
Sources and method
A figure here is always a salary a posting states, a range read at its midpoint and an hourly rate as 2,080 hours of work; a posting that states no pay adds nothing, and nothing is estimated for it. Each employer's advertised range counts once in a median or a middle half. "Up to" ceilings and figures far outside a profession's range are set aside. A profession gets a salary page once 8 of its postings from 3 employers state a salary. The BLS column is the national median from the latest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
- SpaceJobs.Now: salaries stated in space companies' own postings, read every night, published 7 Nov 2026
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). Space industry salaries by profession. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries