Physics, optics and space science
Space Jobs for Physicists
, SpaceJobs.Now lists 51 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers on 13 space industry employers, including Muon Space, Inversion Space and K2 Space; typical pay across them is $128k to $232k a year (median $164k), topped by $285k a year advertised at SpaceX.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory · Science & Data · JPL Campus, United States of America· 1w agoDetails
$83,820/yr
Measured from 38 distinct posted rates, across 9 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 13 of the 51 listings open here post no pay at all.
Space companies hire physicists, astronomers and optical engineers for the instruments, sensors and science their missions carry. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.
Live roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers
Updated 29 Oct 2026, 19:01 UTCShowing the 1 roles that ask for a PhD, every country. See every role
Optics, photonics and lasers
1 openTelescopes, cameras, laser terminals and the optical systems of instruments and satellites.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory · Science & Data · JPL Campus, United States of America· 1w agoDetails
$83,820/yr
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.
| Specialty | Open roles | Typical pay | Highest rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optics, photonics and lasers | 32 | $140k–$242k/yr | $285k/yr |
| Plasma and radiation physics | 18 | $118k–$231k/yr | $235k/yr |
| Physicists | 1 | Too few rates | Not stated |
What the roles ask for
Drawn from the requirement lines of 23 out of 51 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical 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.
- Name years of experience14
- Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)9
- Set a residency or work-authorization condition3
- Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)1
- Name a security clearance1
Where a posting states years of experience, the median ask is 3 years.
Who hires physicists, astronomers and optical engineers in the space industry
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 physicists, astronomers and optical engineers earn in the space industry?
Going by the 38 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $128k–$232k/yr and the median is $164k/yr. The top posted figure is $285k/yr, at SpaceX. 13 of the 51 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers state no pay, so check each listing.
Do I need a PhD?
For science and research roles often yes; optics and sensor engineering roles usually ask for a bachelor's or master's and hands-on experience. Each listing states the degree and the location it asks for. Of the 23 open roles for physicists, astronomers and optical engineers whose requirements we read, 1 ask for a PhD, 21 at least a bachelor's and 1 name no degree.
What does a physicist, astronomer or optical engineer do at a space company?
A physicist or optical engineer at a space company designs and tests the parts of a mission that depend on physics: telescopes and cameras, laser links, sensors, radiation effects and plasma thrusters, and the science a mission is built to do.
How do space companies hire physicists, astronomers and optical 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, Inversion Space, K2 Space and Apex 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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