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Structures, thermal and mechanisms

Space Jobs for Mechanical Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 956 open roles for mechanical engineers on , including Muon Space, Array Labs and Anduril; typical pay across them is $122k to $230k a year (median $145k), topped by $328k a year advertised at Stoke Space.

See 883 roles for mechanical engineers
$122k–$230k/yrtypical paylive median $145k/yrup to $328k/yr at Stoke Space

Measured from 594 distinct posted rates, across 63 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 361 of the 956 listings open here post no pay at all.

Space companies hire mechanical engineers to design the vehicle's structures, mechanisms and thermal systems, and the equipment that handles it on the ground. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for mechanical engineers

Updated 30 Oct 2026, 14:04 UTC

Showing the 883 roles posted for United States. See every role

Structures, stress and loads

219 open

Primary structures, tanks and the analysis that proves them: stress, loads, fatigue and fracture, by hand calculation, finite element models and test.

Show 209 more structures roles

Thermal engineering

129 open

Keep hardware at the right temperature in launch, vacuum and reentry: thermal design, analysis and test.

Show 119 more thermal roles

Mechanisms and deployables

85 open

The moving parts: separation systems, actuators, hinges, deployable arrays and antennas, and the robotics of a vehicle.

Show 75 more mechanisms roles

Ground support equipment and facilities

39 open

The equipment that fuels, lifts, moves and tests a vehicle on the ground and at the pad.

Show 29 more ground support roles

Mechanical design engineers

411 open

Design parts and assemblies in CAD, take them through drawings and production, and support them in test and flight.

Show 401 more mechanical 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
Structures, stress and loads236$129k–$243k/yr$328k/yr
Thermal engineering144$123k–$250k/yr$295k/yr
Mechanisms and deployables90$128k–$230k/yr$300k/yr
Ground support equipment and facilities39$115k–$186k/yr$194k/yr
Mechanical design engineers447$120k–$220k/yr$300k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 328 out of 956 open roles for mechanical 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.

1

Ask for a PhD

7

Ask for a master's

297

Ask for at least a bachelor's

23

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience274
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)42
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition40
  • Name a security clearance27
  • Ask for a professional license15
  • Name a PE license10
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)4

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

Who hires mechanical engineers in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Muon Space logoMuon Space11$83.2k–$216k/yr
Array Labs logoArray Labs2$150k–$250k/yr
Anduril logoAnduril12$115k–$292k/yr
Outpost logoOutpost1$170k–$225k/yr
Umbra logoUmbra2$125k–$220k/yr
Cowboy Space logoCowboy Space12$74k–$300k/yr
Johns Hopkins APL logoJohns Hopkins APL3$105k–$290k/yr
Amazon Leo logoAmazon Leo24$96.6k–$282k/yr
Portal Space Systems logoPortal Space Systems6$120k–$205k/yr
Astrolab logoAstrolab7$100k–$230k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly9$90k–$250k/yr
Turion Space logoTurion Space1$100k–$150k/yr
Momentus logoMomentus1$190k–$215k/yr
E-Space logoE-Space6$90k–$220k/yr
Inversion Space logoInversion Space10$106k–$221k/yr
BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems logoBAE Systems Space & Mission Systems9$64.9k–$226k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space28$79k–$295k/yr
General Galactic logoGeneral Galactic4$120k–$220k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems2$62.4k–$178k/yr
Trinzic logoTrinzic1$123k–$185k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries18$105k–$263k/yr
Loft Orbital logoLoft Orbital2$62.4k/yr
Apex logoApex11$100k–$195k/yr
RTX logoRTX1$132k–$252k/yr
Viasat logoViasat5$121k–$285k/yr
Astra logoAstra5$100k–$220k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space7$110k–$328k/yr
Impulse Space logoImpulse Space11$66.6k–$215k/yr
Capella Space logoCapella Space1$193k–$277k/yr
KBR logoKBR1$123k–$185k/yr
Planet logoPlanet1$145k–$181k/yr
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin158$46.8k–$277k/yr
BlackSky logoBlackSky4$130k–$205k/yr
Slingshot Aerospace logoSlingshot Aerospace1$130k–$190k/yr
HawkEye 360 logoHawkEye 3601$70k–$115k/yr
Gravitics logoGravitics7$58.2k–$205k/yr
Vast logoVast24$72.8k–$265k/yr
CesiumAstro logoCesiumAstro16$96k–$246k/yr
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies16$48.9k–$251k/yr
Reflect Orbital logoReflect Orbital1$90k–$200k/yr
Orbit Fab logoOrbit Fab2$125k–$173k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space52$90k–$277k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space2$100k–$175k/yr
GITAI logoGITAI6$52k–$200k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace14Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space15Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE14Not stated
The Aerospace Corporation logoThe Aerospace Corporation11Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace8Not stated
Star Catcher logoStar Catcher8Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company8Not stated
OHB logoOHB6Not stated
HyImpulse logoHyImpulse5Not stated
ClearSpace logoClearSpace3Not stated
Exolaunch logoExolaunch2Not stated
NewOrbit Space logoNewOrbit Space2Not stated
Open Cosmos logoOpen Cosmos2Not stated
Redwire Space Europe logoRedwire Space Europe2Not stated
Dawn Aerospace logoDawn Aerospace1Not stated
Elveo Mobile logoElveo Mobile1Not stated
Eutelsat logoEutelsat1Not stated
Exotrail logoExotrail1Not stated
Foundational logoFoundational1Not stated
Reflex Aerospace logoReflex Aerospace1Not stated
Satellogic logoSatellogic1Not stated
Sidus Space logoSidus Space1Not stated
Spaceium logoSpaceium1Not stated
Venus Aerospace logoVenus Aerospace1Not stated
Redwire logoRedwire1Not stated
Intuitive Machines logoIntuitive Machines9Not stated
Sierra Space logoSierra Space19$82.5k–$125k/yr
Katalyst Space Technologies logoKatalyst Space Technologies1$110k–$140k/yr
ispace logoispace6$81k–$122k/yr
SpaceX logoSpaceX117$100k–$190k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile19Not stated
Rendezvous Robotics logoRendezvous Robotics4$110k–$170k/yr
Mission Control Space Services logoMission Control Space Services1Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing7$79.1k–$274k/yr
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman33$65.8k–$266k/yr
L3Harris logoL3Harris12$102k–$189k/yr
Terran Orbital logoTerran Orbital3$80k–$155k/yr
United Launch Alliance logoUnited Launch Alliance16$48k–$166k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab35$52k–$253k/yr
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3$97k–$140k/yr
Lockheed Martin logoLockheed Martin9$58.2k–$280k/yr
Virgin Galactic logoVirgin Galactic11$93.4k–$269k/yr
Lunar Outpost logoLunar Outpost4$49.9k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major11$80k–$190k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis15$60.3k–$235k/yr
AstroForge logoAstroForge2$100k–$198k/yr
Benchmark Space Systems logoBenchmark Space Systems4$47.8k–$125k/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.

How each employer checks you

For every employer currently hiring mechanical 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 Leo24 open
Assessment
Amazon's interview loop. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin158 open
Assessment
No general test published. How to apply
Interview
None published
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman33 open
Assessment
The recruiter screening and team interviews. How to apply
Interview
Interview
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3 open
Assessment
No general test published. How to apply
Interview
None published
Lockheed Martin logoLockheed Martin9 open
Assessment
Lockheed Martin's interviews. How to apply
Interview
Interview

Where these roles are posted

The US states with the most open roles for mechanical 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.

In the US, by state

Space industry jobs by US state

The public record, in every industry: 298,500 mechanical engineers work in the US (2025), projected to grow 11% by 2035, at a median $104k/yr (BLS, May 2025). Open space roles for mechanical engineers post a median $132k/yr, 26.8% above it (pay research). Each state's page gives its own.

What our research measures about mechanical 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 mechanical engineers earn in the space industry?

Going by the 594 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for mechanical engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $122k–$230k/yr and the median is $145k/yr. The top posted figure is $328k/yr, at Stoke Space. 361 of the 956 open roles for mechanical engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

Is a PE license required for space mechanical roles?

Rarely: most roles ask for a mechanical or aerospace degree and experience with the CAD and analysis tools they name. A PE license comes up mostly for facilities and pressure systems work. Every posting spells out its exact requirements and work site, so read each one. Of the 328 open roles for mechanical engineers whose requirements we read, 1 ask for a PhD, 7 a master's, 297 at least a bachelor's and 23 name no degree.

What does a mechanical engineer do at a space company?

A mechanical engineer at a space company designs hardware in CAD and proves it works: sizing structures and tanks for launch loads, keeping parts at temperature in vacuum, building the mechanisms that separate and deploy, and supporting each part through manufacturing and test.

How do space companies hire mechanical 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 mechanical engineers now, none publishes a recorded interview or an ID check in the guides we hold. 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, Array Labs, Anduril and Outpost 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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Every profession space companies hire, with live counts and pay.

Mechanical, Structures & Thermal

Every open mechanical role across space employers, with live pay.