GNC engineer salary
Space employers offer GNC engineers a median of $167k a year, and the middle half of their postings sits at $144k–$193k. That comes from 163 jobs at 42 employers whose own postings name a salary.
- 25th percentile$143,776.28/hr
- Median (50th)$167,000/hr
- 75th percentile$192,774.50/hr
- Distinct posted rates163
- Jobs stating an hourly rate163
- Employers42
The median is the middle of the 163 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $143,776.28–$192,774.50 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- 25th percentile$143,776.28/hr
- Median (50th)$167,000/hr
- 75th percentile$192,774.50/hr
- Distinct posted rates163
- Jobs stating an hourly rate163
- Employers42
The median is the middle of the 163 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $143,776.28–$192,774.50 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- Median posted pay, a year$167,000
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- The same per hour, full time$80.29/hr
Every figure here is a year's pay: a job that posts pay counts at 2,080 hours (40 a week for 52 weeks). Rounded to the nearest $100.
- Lockheed Martin16 jobs
- Northrop Grumman16 jobs
- SpaceX14 jobs
- Blue Origin13 jobs
- Rocket Lab10 jobs
- Boeing9 jobs
- True Anomaly8 jobs
- Sierra Space8 jobs
- Xona Space Systems5 jobs
- Impulse Space5 jobs
Jobs stating pay, the employers with the most first: 104 at the 10 shown and 59 at 32 other employers, 163 in all.
The jobs themselves: GNC engineer jobs
What GNC engineers are paid
How many postings fall in each salary step, a range counted at its midpoint; the darker bars are the middle half of what employers offer.
Median $167k a year. Middle half $144k to $193k. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs
Middle half of 163 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $167k. 80% of the 205 open GNC engineer jobs state pay.
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GNC engineer pay by employer
What each employer posts for GNC engineers, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first. An employer with at least 5 such jobs has a page of its own with every range it posts.
Median of each employer's own jobs (a range at its midpoint), and the lowest and highest rate it posts. Jobs stating pay link to the employer's open jobs.
GNC engineer pay by state
States where at least 8 open jobs from 3 employers state pay, highest median first. Each opens the state's own page, with its towns and employers.
| State | Median posted | Middle half | BLS median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $178k | $156k–$199k | n/a | 83 |
| Colorado | $164k | $146k–$206k | n/a | 60 |
| Washington | $163k | $149k–$163k | n/a | 12 |
| Virginia | $142k | $117k–$185k | n/a | 9 |
Median and middle half of employers' rates in the state. BLS medians are for the occupation's main SOC code in the state (latest release).
Best-paid open GNC engineer jobs
The current postings with the highest stated salaries, no more than two per employer.
$220,000–$315,000/yr
$198,000–$330,000/yr
$230,000–$270,000/yr- $195,000–$300,000/yr
$148,300–$344,400/yr
Sr Principal Engineer, Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO), Guidance, Navigation & Control, Lead
$206,107–$283,398/yr
$182,750–$297,850/yr- $166,900–$309,900/yr
$197,529–$276,540/yr- $198,936–$273,537/yr
$219,161–$243,513/yr
$180,000–$280,000/yr
Every open job: GNC engineer jobs
Questions about GNC engineer pay in space
What do space companies pay GNC engineers?
Postings that state a salary put the median at $167k a year and the middle half at $144k–$193k, across 163 postings from 42 employers (one employer's repeated posting counted once). Full time, the median is about $80.29/hr an hour.
Where do GNC engineers earn the most?
Ranked by the median salary in each state's postings: California ($178k), Colorado ($164k) and Washington ($163k) come first, Virginia ($142k), Washington ($163k) and Colorado ($164k) last. A state's own salary page splits its figure by town and employer.
Which space companies pay GNC engineers the most?
Of the employers that state a salary on at least 5 postings: True Anomaly ($210k), Sierra Space ($203k) and Xona Space Systems ($180k). The employer table covers the 40 with the most postings that state pay.
Where do these figures come from?
From the salaries in space companies' own postings, read every night: 163 of 205 current GNC engineer postings (80%) state one. Nothing is estimated for a posting without pay, "up to" ceilings are set aside, and an hourly rate counts as 2,080 hours.
Salaries in flight software
Sources and method
- SpaceJobs.Now: salaries stated in space companies' own postings, read every night, published 7 Nov 2026
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). GNC engineer salary. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries/gnc-engineers