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Launch and mission operations

Space Jobs for Mission Operations Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 192 open roles for mission and launch operations engineers on , including Muon Space, Turion Space and Inversion Space; typical pay across them is $113k to $214k a year (median $130k), topped by $275k a year advertised at SpaceX.

See 160 roles for mission and launch operations engineers
$113k–$214k/yrtypical paylive median $130k/yrup to $275k/yr at SpaceX

Measured from 83 distinct posted rates, across 19 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 108 of the 192 listings open here post no pay at all.

Launch and satellite companies hire operations engineers to get vehicles off the pad and keep spacecraft flying, from the launch control room to the satellite ops floor. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for mission and launch operations engineers

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 19:01 UTC

Showing the 160 roles posted for United States. See every role

Launch and range operations

37 open

Prepare and launch vehicles: pad operations, launch control, range and recovery.

Show 27 more launch operations roles

Spacecraft and satellite operations

23 open

Fly satellites and spacecraft once they are up: commanding, monitoring and keeping a fleet healthy.

Show 13 more satellite operations roles

Ground stations

3 open

Run the antennas and ground segment that talk to spacecraft.

Mission control and flight control

41 open

Plan and run missions from the control room, on console.

Show 31 more mission control roles

Operations engineers

56 open

Operations engineering roles across launch and mission teams.

Show 46 more operations 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
Launch and range operations47$87.8k–$193k/yr$215k/yr
Spacecraft and satellite operations33$108k–$180k/yr$190k/yr
Ground stations6Too few rates$180k/yr
Mission control and flight control44$134k–$225k/yr$250k/yr
Operations engineers62$120k–$212k/yr$275k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 61 out of 192 open roles for mission and launch operations 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

1

Ask for a master's

46

Ask for at least a bachelor's

14

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience44
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)16
  • Name a security clearance10
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)7
  • Ask for a certification3
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition3

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

Who hires mission and launch operations engineers in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Muon Space logoMuon Space3$74.9k–$195k/yr
Turion Space logoTurion Space2$150k–$225k/yr
Inversion Space logoInversion Space1$161k–$221k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries2$140k–$179k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space5$62.4k–$210k/yr
Apex logoApex4$110k–$250k/yr
Loft Orbital logoLoft Orbital4$140k–$190k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space2$100k–$175k/yr
Starfish Space logoStarfish Space1$100k–$180k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly4Not stated
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace4$145k–$175k/yr
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman16Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin14Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace10Not stated
Astroscale logoAstroscale3Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing3Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space2Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE2Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company2Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX59$47.8k–$275k/yr
Vantor logoVantor1$74k–$98k/yr
Planet logoPlanet4$114k–$145k/yr
Spire Global logoSpire Global1$130k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile5Not stated
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory2$99.4k–$162k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space7$39.9k–$124k/yr
Vast logoVast5$84.5k–$151k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab20$87k–$173k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis4$91.5k–$180k/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 mission and launch operations engineers earn in the space industry?

Going by the 83 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for mission and launch operations engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $113k–$214k/yr and the median is $130k/yr. The top posted figure is $275k/yr, at SpaceX. 108 of the 192 open roles for mission and launch operations engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

What do operations roles ask for?

Usually an engineering or science degree, and for some roles operations experience from the military, aviation or another space program. Many work in shifts or on call. Every posting spells out its exact requirements and work site, so read each one. Of the 61 open roles for mission and launch operations engineers whose requirements we read, 1 a master's, 46 at least a bachelor's and 14 name no degree.

What does a mission or launch operations engineer do at a space company?

A mission or launch operations engineer runs the vehicle in real time: preparing it at the pad and on console for launch, or commanding and monitoring spacecraft once they fly, writing the procedures, training for anomalies and keeping watch on shift.

How do space companies hire mission and launch operations 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, Turion Space, Inversion Space and Varda Space Industries 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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