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Security for space systems

Space Jobs for Cybersecurity Experts

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 115 open roles for cybersecurity experts on , including Muon Space, Xona Space Systems and Varda Space Industries; typical pay across them is $119k to $265k a year (median $163k), topped by $340k a year advertised at SpaceX.

See 115 roles for cybersecurity experts
$119k–$265k/yrtypical paylive median $163k/yrup to $340k/yr at SpaceX

Measured from 82 distinct posted rates, across 15 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 33 of the 115 listings open here post no pay at all.

Space companies hire cybersecurity experts to protect spacecraft, ground systems and the company's own networks, often under government security rules. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for cybersecurity experts

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 23:01 UTC

Compliance and governance

1 open

Security compliance for government and defense work: CMMC, NIST frameworks, risk and audits.

Security operations and incident response

37 open

Watch, detect and respond: the security operations center, threat intelligence and incident response.

See all 37 security operations roles

Cybersecurity experts

7 open

Cybersecurity roles across space companies.

Before you apply

Space hardware is built, tested and flown in person, so many roles name a factory, a test site, a launch site or a control room, and each listing states its location. US roles that touch export-controlled technology (ITAR or EAR) can ask that you be a U.S. person, and some ask for a security clearance. A real employer never charges you to apply, never interviews you only by chat app and never asks you to buy equipment.

Pay by specialty

Every specialty gets its typical band from its own open roles, computed by the same method as the rest of the site (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). A specialty is listed once three or more distinct rates have been posted.

SpecialtyOpen rolesTypical payHighest rate
Compliance and governance1Too few rates$170k/yr
Security operations and incident response37$94.2k–$200k/yr$250k/yr
Security engineering70$155k–$270k/yr$340k/yr
Cybersecurity experts7$170k–$288k/yr$300k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 64 out of 115 open roles for cybersecurity experts, the same lines each role's pop-up quotes from its posting. Each role is counted once, at the lowest degree it will accept.

0

Ask for a PhD

1

Ask for a master's

40

Ask for at least a bachelor's

23

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience51
  • Name a security clearance30
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)11
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)8
  • Ask for a certification6
  • Name a security certification (CISSP, Security+)4
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition4

Where a posting states years of experience, the median ask is 5 years.

Who hires cybersecurity experts in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Muon Space logoMuon Space2$154k–$218k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems2$153k–$218k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries2Not stated
K2 Space logoK2 Space3$170k–$250k/yr
Apex logoApex9$88k–$270k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space2$72.7k–$200k/yr
BlackSky logoBlackSky1$80k–$90k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space4$120k–$222k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly6$120k–$250k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace2Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin7Not stated
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman3Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace2Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing1Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX49$85k–$340k/yr
Vantor logoVantor3$105k–$170k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile1Not stated
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory1$160k–$197k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major2$128k–$300k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space1$111k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab10$37.4k–$152k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis2$130k–$180k/yr

Sorted by the expected value of an application (acceptance odds times posted pay). A referral agreement, if an employer has one, can raise it in this order but never changes the salary it offers.

Where these roles are posted

Two groupings: roles posted for a single country, and roles with a language in the title. A place name leads to its own page, and a count lists the matching roles.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do cybersecurity experts earn in the space industry?

Going by the 82 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for cybersecurity experts (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $119k–$265k/yr and the median is $163k/yr. The top posted figure is $340k/yr, at SpaceX. 33 of the 115 open roles for cybersecurity experts state no pay, so check each listing.

Do I need a security clearance?

Some roles do, mostly at companies with defense work, and many ask for certifications such as CISSP or Security+. Every posting spells out its exact requirements and work site, so read each one. Of the 64 open roles for cybersecurity experts whose requirements we read, 1 a master's, 40 at least a bachelor's and 23 name no degree.

What does a cybersecurity expert do at a space company?

A cybersecurity expert at a space company secures the systems a mission depends on: the spacecraft and its links, the ground stations and mission software, and the company's networks, with the compliance work government and defense contracts require.

How do space companies hire cybersecurity experts?

Each employer runs its own hiring, and each listing says what it asks for: the degree or the hands-on experience, the location, and for export-controlled work in the US, often U.S. person status.

Are these jobs real?

Every role here is read from a space employer's own careers page or job board (Muon Space, Xona Space Systems, Varda Space Industries and K2 Space among them), and each employer's page here covers who they are and how they hire. A real employer never charges you to apply, never asks you to buy equipment and never interviews you only by chat app.

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