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Structures, thermal and mechanisms

Space Jobs for Mechanical Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 623 open roles for mechanical engineers on , including Muon Space, Outpost and Momentus; typical pay across them is $110k to $194k a year (median $132k), topped by $328k a year advertised at Stoke Space.

See 22 roles for mechanical engineers
$110k–$194k/yrtypical paylive median $132k/yrup to $328k/yr at Stoke Space

Measured from 294 distinct posted rates, across 24 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 329 of the 623 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 29 Oct 2026, 20:01 UTC

Listed here: Vast roles. See every employer

Structures, stress and loads

5 open

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

Thermal engineering

6 open

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

Mechanisms and deployables

1 open

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

Mechanical design engineers

10 open

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

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 loads143$107k–$195k/yr$328k/yr
Thermal engineering98$121k–$215k/yr$295k/yr
Mechanisms and deployables59$114k–$208k/yr$232k/yr
Ground support equipment and facilities30$123k–$185k/yr$194k/yr
Mechanical design engineers293$109k–$190k/yr$252k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 169 out of 623 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.

0

Ask for a PhD

8

Ask for a master's

150

Ask for at least a bachelor's

11

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience138
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)27
  • Name a security clearance13
  • Ask for a professional license5
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition5
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)4
  • Name a PE license2

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
Outpost logoOutpost1$170k–$225k/yr
Momentus logoMomentus1$190k–$215k/yr
Inversion Space logoInversion Space10$106k–$221k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems2$62.4k–$178k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries18$105k–$263k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space30$83.2k–$295k/yr
Apex logoApex11$100k–$195k/yr
Loft Orbital logoLoft Orbital1$62.4k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space7$110k–$328k/yr
Slingshot Aerospace logoSlingshot Aerospace1$130k–$190k/yr
BlackSky logoBlackSky3$130k–$150k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space2$100k–$175k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly10Not stated
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace14Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin159Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space16Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE13Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace8Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company8Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing4Not stated
Dawn Aerospace logoDawn Aerospace1Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX116$100k–$190k/yr
Planet logoPlanet1$145k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile19Not stated
HawkEye 360 logoHawkEye 3601$70k/yr
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies16$48.9k–$199k/yr
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3$97k–$140k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major11$80k–$190k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space52$90k–$185k/yr
Terran Orbital logoTerran Orbital3$80k–$105k/yr
Vast logoVast22$72.8k–$175k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab33$52k–$152k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis15$60.3k–$145k/yr

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.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do mechanical engineers earn in the space industry?

Going by the 294 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for mechanical engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $110k–$194k/yr and the median is $132k/yr. The top posted figure is $328k/yr, at Stoke Space. 329 of the 623 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 169 open roles for mechanical engineers whose requirements we read, 8 a master's, 150 at least a bachelor's and 11 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.

Are these jobs real?

Every role here is read from a space employer's own careers page or job board (Muon Space, Outpost, Momentus and Inversion 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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Mechanical, Structures & Thermal

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