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Guidance, navigation and control

Space Jobs for GNC Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 342 open roles for GNC engineers on , including Muon Space, Anduril and Outpost; typical pay across them is $141k to $266k a year (median $166k), topped by $344k a year advertised at Lockheed Martin.

See 342 roles for GNC engineers
$141k–$266k/yrtypical paylive median $166k/yrup to $344k/yr at Lockheed Martin

Measured from 222 distinct posted rates, across 50 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 106 of the 342 listings open here post no pay at all.

Launch and spacecraft companies hire GNC engineers to write the algorithms that steer a vehicle, and flight dynamics engineers to plan where it goes. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for GNC engineers

Updated 31 Oct 2026, 17:02 UTC

Flight dynamics, trajectory and mission design

73 open

Plan where a vehicle goes: trajectories, orbits, orbit determination and the design of the mission itself.

Show 63 more flight dynamics roles

Guidance, navigation and control

266 open

The algorithms that steer and stabilize a vehicle: attitude control, navigation filters, landing guidance and rendezvous.

Show 256 more GNC roles

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
Flight dynamics, trajectory and mission design73$144k–$266k/yr$298k/yr
Guidance, navigation and control266$140k–$266k/yr$344k/yr
GNC engineers3Too few ratesNot stated

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 175 out of 342 open roles for GNC engineers, 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

23

Ask for a master's

135

Ask for at least a bachelor's

17

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience113
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)61
  • Name a security clearance50
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition15
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)13
  • Ask for a professional license1
  • Ask for a certification1

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

Who hires GNC engineers in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Muon Space logoMuon Space8$83.2k–$298k/yr
Anduril logoAnduril6$117k–$254k/yr
Outpost logoOutpost1$150k–$180k/yr
Cowboy Space logoCowboy Space2$150k–$202k/yr
Astrolab logoAstrolab2$130k–$235k/yr
Amazon Leo logoAmazon Leo4$82.1k–$215k/yr
Portal Space Systems logoPortal Space Systems1$150k–$205k/yr
Johns Hopkins APL logoJohns Hopkins APL2$100k–$290k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly8$115k–$315k/yr
Turion Space logoTurion Space1$125k–$175k/yr
MITRE logoMITRE1$104k–$130k/yr
E-Space logoE-Space1$150k–$200k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space1$110k–$194k/yr
Inversion Space logoInversion Space4$139k–$221k/yr
BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems logoBAE Systems Space & Mission Systems3$118k–$226k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space3$62.4k–$235k/yr
Apex logoApex4$100k–$260k/yr
General Galactic logoGeneral Galactic1$140k–$220k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems6$130k–$210k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries3$169k–$244k/yr
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin33$87.8k–$277k/yr
Astra logoAstra1$115k–$140k/yr
Impulse Space logoImpulse Space6$120k–$270k/yr
KBR logoKBR4$134k–$201k/yr
Quantum Space logoQuantum Space3$125k–$225k/yr
Millennium Space Systems logoMillennium Space Systems1$80.8k–$148k/yr
CesiumAstro logoCesiumAstro2$113k–$161k/yr
Reflect Orbital logoReflect Orbital2$130k–$220k/yr
Spire Global logoSpire Global2Not stated
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies1Not stated
Booz Allen Hamilton logoBooz Allen Hamilton3$86.8k–$257k/yr
Boeing logoBoeing4$116k–$298k/yr
Sierra Space logoSierra Space9$77.7k–$283k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space4$106k–$222k/yr
Vast logoVast1$160k–$227k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace3Not stated
The Aerospace Corporation logoThe Aerospace Corporation12Not stated
Thales Alenia Space logoThales Alenia Space11Not stated
Astroscale logoAstroscale7Not stated
Eutelsat logoEutelsat4Not stated
Exotrail logoExotrail4Not stated
OHB logoOHB4Not stated
ArianeGroup logoArianeGroup3Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE3Not stated
ClearSpace logoClearSpace2Not stated
European Space Agency (ESA) logoEuropean Space Agency (ESA)2Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company2Not stated
Venus Aerospace logoVenus Aerospace2Not stated
Airbus Defence and Space logoAirbus Defence and Space1Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space1Not stated
CNES (French space agency) logoCNES (French space agency)1Not stated
Exos Aerospace logoExos Aerospace1Not stated
Foundational logoFoundational1Not stated
Hemeria logoHemeria1Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace1Not stated
Leaf Space logoLeaf Space1Not stated
Reflex Aerospace logoReflex Aerospace1Not stated
Spaceium logoSpaceium1Not stated
SpaceWorks Enterprises logoSpaceWorks Enterprises1Not stated
Star Catcher logoStar Catcher1Not stated
Telesat logoTelesat1Not stated
Telespazio logoTelespazio1Not stated
Starfish Space logoStarfish Space1$100k–$180k/yr
Katalyst Space Technologies logoKatalyst Space Technologies4$90k–$280k/yr
Intuitive Machines logoIntuitive Machines10$100k–$135k/yr
SpaceX logoSpaceX21$125k–$205k/yr
ispace logoispace4Not stated
Redwire logoRedwire1$96k–$130k/yr
Rendezvous Robotics logoRendezvous Robotics1$95k–$170k/yr
L3Harris logoL3Harris1$80.5k–$150k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile1Not stated
Lockheed Martin logoLockheed Martin32$62.7k–$344k/yr
Mission Control Space Services logoMission Control Space Services1Not stated
Blue Canyon Technologies logoBlue Canyon Technologies1Not stated
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman18$65.8k–$266k/yr
Virgin Galactic logoVirgin Galactic1$143k–$218k/yr
Iridium logoIridium1$90k–$120k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab20$81k–$330k/yr
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)3$146k–$223k/yr
CACI logoCACI1$63.8k–$128k/yr
Amentum logoAmentum5Not stated
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major1$146k–$183k/yr
Peraton logoPeraton2$66k–$106k/yr
Benchmark Space Systems logoBenchmark Space Systems1$160k–$210k/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.

GNC Engineer salary by employer

What each employer's own postings pay GNC engineers, by level and by site, with every role and its posted pay.

How each employer checks you

For every employer currently hiring GNC engineers: its process as its own hiring guide describes it, each line with its source. The complete steps sit on that employer's page. 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.

Amazon Leo logoAmazon Leo4 open
Assessment
Amazon's interview loop. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin33 open
Assessment
No general test published. How to apply
Interview
None published
Booz Allen Hamilton logoBooz Allen Hamilton3 open
Assessment
Booz Allen's technical assessment and interviews. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Thales Alenia Space logoThales Alenia Space11 open
Assessment
Thales interviews. How to apply
Interview
Interview
European Space Agency (ESA) logoEuropean Space Agency (ESA)2 open
Assessment
ESA's pre-screening and panel interview. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Credentials
You complete a basic medical screening for the ESA Medical Officer and a basic background screening run by an external party; in a second stage ESA contacts your referees and verifies your diploma. Source
Airbus Defence and Space logoAirbus Defence and Space1 open
Assessment
Airbus interviews and role tests. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Lockheed Martin logoLockheed Martin32 open
Assessment
Lockheed Martin's interviews. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman18 open
Assessment
The recruiter screening and team interviews. How to apply
Interview
Interview
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)3 open
Assessment
No general test published. How to apply
Interview
None published

Where these roles are posted

The US states with the most open roles for GNC engineers, and the roles posted for a single country. A place name leads to its own page, and a country's count lists the matching roles.

Students and recent graduates: 12 open space internships for GNC engineers.

In the US, by state

Space industry jobs by US state

In the US, by metro area

Space industry jobs by metro area

The public record, in every industry: 68,700 aerospace engineers work in the US (2025), projected to grow 8% by 2035, at a median $135k/yr (BLS, May 2025). Open space roles for GNC engineers post a median $171k/yr, 26.7% above it (pay research). Each state's page gives its own.

What our research measures about flight software work

Read from the open postings on 2026-10-30 by our space industry research, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the row of the report it comes from.

Experienced in Flight Software & GNC?

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Frequently asked questions

How much do GNC engineers earn in the space industry?

Going by the 222 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for GNC engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $141k–$266k/yr and the median is $166k/yr. The top posted figure is $344k/yr, at Lockheed Martin. 106 of the 342 open roles for GNC engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

What do GNC roles ask for?

Usually an aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering degree with controls and dynamics, often a master's, and experience in the simulation and coding tools the role names. Every posting spells out its exact requirements and work site, so read each one. Of the 175 open roles for GNC engineers whose requirements we read, 23 a master's, 135 at least a bachelor's and 17 name no degree.

What does a GNC engineer do at a space company?

A GNC engineer designs, simulates and tests the guidance, navigation and control of a vehicle: how it knows where it is, where it should go and how it gets there, from a rocket's ascent to a booster's landing or a satellite's pointing. Flight dynamics engineers plan the trajectories and orbits and track the vehicle once it flies.

How do space companies hire GNC engineers?

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. Of the employers hiring GNC engineers now, European Space Agency (ESA) says it checks credentials such as degrees. The section on how each employer checks you quotes each guide with its source.

Are these jobs real?

Every role here is read from a space employer's own careers page or job board (Muon Space, Anduril, Outpost and Cowboy 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.

Which space companies pay GNC engineers the most?

Of the 5 employers whose postings for GNC engineers state enough pay for a figure, the highest medians are Blue Origin ($173k/yr), Rocket Lab ($165k/yr) and SpaceX ($160k/yr). A median is of what each employer's open roles post today, by the same formula for every employer.

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