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Materials and processes

Space Jobs for Materials Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 91 open roles for materials engineers and chemists on , including Inversion Space, Xona Space Systems and Apex; their typical pay runs $124k to $225k a year, with a median of $130k, and the highest advertised rate is $252k a year at Stoke Space.

See 91 roles for materials engineers and chemists
$124k–$225k/yrtypical paylive median $130k/yrup to $252k/yr at Stoke Space

Measured from 32 distinct posted rates, across 8 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 59 of the 91 open roles here state no pay.

Space companies hire materials engineers and chemists to choose, qualify and test the metals, composites and chemicals their vehicles are made of and run on. Every role is checked against its employer's job board every hour.

Live roles for materials engineers and chemists

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 14:01 UTC

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Metallurgy and metals

13 open

Alloys, heat treatment, joining and failure analysis for engines, tanks and structures.

See all 13 metallurgy roles

Composites, polymers and coatings

10 open

Composite structures, polymers, adhesives, coatings and thermal protection materials.

Chemistry and propellants

13 open

Propellants, cleanliness and contamination control, and the chemistry of materials that fly.

See all 13 chemistry 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
Metallurgy and metals13$119k–$192k/yr$220k/yr
Composites, polymers and coatings10$124k–$160k/yr$160k/yr
Chemistry and propellants13$82.8k–$184k/yr$192k/yr
Materials and processes engineers55$129k–$235k/yr$252k/yr

What the roles ask for

Read from the requirements of 11 of the 91 open roles for materials engineers and chemists: 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

1

Ask for a master's

9

Ask for a bachelor's or a degree

1

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience8
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)2
  • Ask for a professional license1

The roles that name experience ask for a median of 5 years.

Who hires materials engineers and chemists in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Inversion Space logoInversion Space2$175k–$244k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems1$173k–$197k/yr
Apex logoApex4$121k–$225k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space1$129k–$252k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace1Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin27Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space3Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company1Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX38$100k–$220k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile1Not stated
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies2$56.2k–$105k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space8$90k–$150k/yr
Vast logoVast2$86.1k–$123k/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 materials engineers and chemists earn in the space industry?

Across the 32 distinct hourly rates posted for roles for materials engineers and chemists right now, typical pay runs from $124000 to $225000 an hour, with a median of $130000. The highest posted rate is $252105 an hour, at Stoke Space. 59 of the 91 open roles for materials engineers and chemists state no pay, so check each listing.

What degree do materials roles ask for?

Usually a degree in materials science, metallurgy, chemical engineering or chemistry, and for senior roles a master's or PhD. Each listing states the degree, the experience and the location it asks for. Of the 11 open roles for materials engineers and chemists whose requirements we read, 1 a master's, 9 a bachelor's or a degree and 1 name no degree.

What does a materials engineer or chemist do at a space company?

A materials engineer at a space company decides what a part is made of and how it is made, then proves it: testing alloys and composites, writing the process specifications for heat treating, bonding and coating, and finding the cause when a part fails.

How do space companies hire materials engineers and chemists?

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, Xona Space Systems, Apex and Stoke 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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