CNC and machining
Space Jobs for Machinists
, SpaceJobs.Now lists 152 open roles for machinists on 20 space industry employers, including Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries and K2 Space; typical pay across them is $65.5k to $141k a year (median $86.3k), topped by $218k a year advertised at Northwood Space.
Senior Manufacturing Engineering, Machining (opens the job details)
Northwood Space · Technicians · Torrance, CA, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$104,000–$218,000/yr
Measured from 87 distinct posted rates, across 13 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 65 of the 152 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 29 Oct 2026, 19:01 UTCListed here: Northwood Space roles. See every employer
Machinists
1 openMachinist roles across factories and machine shops.
Senior Manufacturing Engineering, Machining (opens the job details)
Northwood Space · Technicians · Torrance, CA, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$104,000–$218,000/yr
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.
| Specialty | Open roles | Typical pay | Highest rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNC programmers | 31 | $92k–$125k/yr | $131k/yr |
| CNC machinists and operators | 69 | $60.8k–$104k/yr | $132k/yr |
| Machinists | 52 | $85k–$172k/yr | $218k/yr |
What the roles ask for
Drawn from the requirement lines of 38 out of 152 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.
- Name years of experience34
- Ask for a certification4
- Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)4
- Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)3
Where a posting states years of experience, the median ask is 5 years.
Who hires machinists in the space industry
Sorted by the expected value of an application (acceptance odds times posted pay). Employers with a referral agreement get a boost in this order, which has no effect on the salary they offer.
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.
Roles posted for one country
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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. 65 of the 152 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 38 open roles for machinists whose requirements we read, 8 at least a bachelor's and 30 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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