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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 K2 Space; their typical pay runs $65.5k to $141k a year, with a median of $86.3k, and the highest advertised rate is $218k a year at Northwood Space.

See 151 roles for machinists
$65.5k–$141k/yrtypical paylive median $86.3k/yrup to $218k/yr at Northwood Space

Measured from 86 distinct posted rates, across 12 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 65 of the 151 open roles here state no pay.

Rocket and spacecraft makers hire machinists to cut the engine parts, structures and fittings that fly, on CNC mills, lathes and multi-axis machines. Every role is checked against its employer's job board every hour.

Live roles for machinists

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 14:01 UTC

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CNC programmers

31 open

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

Show 21 more CNC programming roles

CNC machinists and operators

69 open

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

Show 59 more CNC machinist roles

Machinists

51 open

Machinist roles across factories and machine shops.

Show 41 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

Each specialty's typical pay is measured over its own open roles the way every band on this site is (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), and shown only where at least three distinct rates are posted.

SpecialtyOpen rolesTypical payHighest rate
CNC programmers31$92k–$125k/yr$131k/yr
CNC machinists and operators69$60.8k–$104k/yr$132k/yr
Machinists51$81.6k–$175k/yr$218k/yr

What the roles ask for

Read from the requirements of 21 of the 151 open roles for machinists: the lines each role's pop-up lists from its posting. A role counts once, at the lowest degree it accepts.

0

Ask for a PhD

0

Ask for a master's

4

Ask for a bachelor's or a degree

17

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience17
  • Ask for a certification2
  • Ask for coding (Python, SQL and the like)1

The roles that name experience ask for a median of 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
K2 Space logoK2 Space1Not stated
Apex logoApex1$66.6k–$95.7k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space1$66.8k–$100k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space1$104k–$218k/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
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly1$55.1k–$74.9k/yr
SpaceX logoSpaceX64$45.8k–$215k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile6$93.6k–$114k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major2$49.9k–$74.9k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space20$56k–$142k/yr
Vast logoVast4$47.8k–$105k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab7$72.8k–$93.6k/yr

Ordered by what applying is worth, lifted by a referral boost for the employers that pay us a referral fee; it never changes what an employer pays you.

Where these roles are posted

Roles an employer posts for one country, and roles whose title names a language. Each place opens its own page; each count opens these roles.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do machinists earn in the space industry?

Across the 86 distinct hourly rates posted for roles for machinists right now, typical pay runs from $65500 to $141000 an hour, with a median of $86300. The highest posted rate is $218000 an hour, at Northwood Space. 65 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 21 open roles for machinists whose requirements we read, 4 a bachelor's or a degree and 17 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, K2 Space and Apex 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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