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CNC and machining

Space Jobs for Machinists

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 151 open roles for machinists on , including Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries and Apex; typical pay across them is $65.5k to $141k a year (median $86.3k), topped by $218k a year advertised at Northwood Space.

See 83 roles for machinists
$65.5k–$141k/yrtypical paylive median $86.3k/yrup to $218k/yr at Northwood Space

Measured from 87 distinct posted rates, across 13 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 64 of the 151 listings open here post no pay at all.

Rocket and spacecraft makers hire machinists to cut the engine parts, structures and fittings that fly, on CNC mills, lathes and multi-axis machines. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for machinists

Updated 30 Oct 2026, 05:01 UTC

Showing the 83 roles whose requirements we read, every country. See every role

CNC programmers

21 open

Program the machines: CAM, toolpaths and setups for flight parts.

Show 11 more CNC programming roles

CNC machinists and operators

41 open

Set up and run mills, lathes and multi-axis machines that make engine and structure parts.

Show 31 more CNC machinist roles

Machinists

21 open

Machinist roles across factories and machine shops.

Show 11 more machinist 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
CNC programmers30$92k–$125k/yr$131k/yr
CNC machinists and operators69$60.8k–$104k/yr$132k/yr
Machinists52$85k–$172k/yr$218k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 83 out of 151 open roles for machinists, 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

0

Ask for a master's

14

Ask for at least a bachelor's

69

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience75
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)19
  • Ask for a certification15
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition9
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)7

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

Who hires machinists in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Inversion Space logoInversion Space2$62.4k–$125k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries1$97.2k–$132k/yr
Apex logoApex1$66.6k–$95.7k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space1Not stated
Stoke Space logoStoke Space1$66.8k–$100k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space1$104k–$218k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly1$55.1k–$74.9k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace3Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin30Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace3Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company2Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space1Not stated
Dawn Aerospace logoDawn Aerospace1Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX64$45.8k–$215k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile6$93.6k–$114k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major2$49.9k–$74.9k/yr
Terran Orbital logoTerran Orbital1$85k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space20$56k–$142k/yr
Vast logoVast4$47.8k–$105k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab6$72.8k–$93.6k/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

The US states with the most open roles for machinists, 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.

In the US, by state

Space industry jobs by US state

The public record, in every industry: 288,300 machinists work in the US (2025), projected to grow 1% by 2035, at a median $58.8k/yr (BLS, May 2025). Each state's page gives its own.

What our research measures about technicians work

Read from the open postings on 2026-10-29 by our space industry research, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the row of the report it comes from.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do machinists earn in the space industry?

Going by the 87 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for machinists (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $65.5k–$141k/yr and the median is $86.3k/yr. The top posted figure is $218k/yr, at Northwood Space. 64 of the 151 open roles for machinists state no pay, so check each listing.

Do I need a degree?

Usually not: machinist roles ask for machining experience, the machines and controls they name and the ability to read drawings and tolerances. Each listing states what it requires, the shift and the location. Of the 83 open roles for machinists whose requirements we read, 14 at least a bachelor's and 69 name no degree.

What does a machinist do at a space company?

A machinist at a space company sets up and runs CNC machines that cut flight hardware from metal, reads drawings and tolerances, checks parts as they come off the machine, and for programmer roles writes the toolpaths the machines follow.

How do space companies hire machinists?

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 (Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries, Apex 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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