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Launch and mission operations in California

Space Jobs for Mission Operations Engineers in California

93 open roles for mission and launch operations engineers at 31 space companies name a site in California, most of them in Hawthorne and Long Beach; typical pay runs $130k–$222k/yr. Listed straight from each employer's careers site, checked every hour.

Browse the rolesCalifornia in the research on where space jobs are →Every space job in California →Mission and launch operations engineers in every state →

Space companies hiring mission and launch operations engineers in California

EmployerOpen roles hereMedian posted pay
SpaceX19$130k/yr
Impulse Space6$159k/yr
Northrop Grumman6$143k/yr
Rocket Lab6$139k/yr
K2 Space5$160k/yr
Vast5$152k/yr
Apex4$176k/yr
Astranis4$161k/yr
Reflect Orbital4$148k/yr
Astrolab3$153k/yr
Relativity Space3$152k/yr
The Aerospace Corporation2not stated
Anduril2too few figures
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory2too few figures
Northwood Space2too few figures
Planet2too few figures
Quantum Space2too few figures
Turion Space2too few figures
Varda Space Industries2too few figures
Amazon Leo1too few figures
Amentum1too few figures
Blue Origin1not stated
Boeing1too few figures
Booz Allen Hamilton1too few figures
Cowboy Space1too few figures

Where the roles are

Kinds of work

Open space roles for mission and launch operations engineers in California, newest first

Updated 30 Oct 2026, 16:03 UTC

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What people ask about mission and launch operations engineers' work in California

Which space companies hire mission and launch operations engineers in California?

Today, SpaceX (19 roles), Impulse Space (6 roles), Northrop Grumman (6 roles), Rocket Lab (6 roles), K2 Space (5 roles), Vast (5 roles), and 25 more. The table above lists every employer with a role open in California.

Where in California are the roles for mission and launch operations engineers?

Most are in Hawthorne (24), Long Beach (16), Redondo Beach (11), Los Angeles (10), as the postings name their sites. A role that names several sites counts at each.

How much do space roles for mission and launch operations engineers in California pay?

The roles here that state pay post a median $148k/yr, with typical pay from $130k–$222k/yr; 88.2% of California's postings state their pay at all, which our research on where space jobs are compares state by state. California's law has required employers with 15 or more employees to state a pay range in job postings since 1 Jan 2023 (each state's law beside its postings).

Do roles for mission and launch operations engineers in California require US citizenship?

Of the 3,014 space postings in California whose text we read, 79.6% are limited to US citizens or US persons and 23.5% name a security clearance, by our research on who can apply, which compares every state. Each posting states its own rule, often citing export control under ITAR or the EAR.

How is this list made?

We read each employer's own job board every hour. A role is listed here when it is a US role and its own location line names a place in California, by the same reading as our research on where space jobs are, and its title names the profession by the same rule as the page for mission and launch operations engineers; remote roles that name no state are on the remote jobs page.