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Engines and thrusters

Space Jobs for Propulsion Engineers

, SpaceIndustry.jobs lists 308 open roles for propulsion engineers on , including Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries and K2 Space; their typical pay runs $110k to $201k a year, with a median of $130k, and the highest advertised rate is $328k a year at Stoke Space.

See 308 roles for propulsion engineers
$110k–$201k/yrtypical paylive median $130k/yrup to $328k/yr at Stoke Space

Measured from 159 distinct posted rates, across 14 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 149 of the 308 open roles here state no pay.

Launch companies and spacecraft makers hire propulsion engineers to design, build and test rocket engines, thrusters and the fluid systems that feed them. Every role is checked against its employer's job board every hour.

Live roles for propulsion engineers

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 13:40 UTC

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Propulsion and engine test

41 open

Run engines and components on the test stand: plan the test, operate the stand, read the data and find what the hardware is telling you.

See all 41 propulsion test roles

In-space and electric propulsion

24 open

Thrusters and propulsion systems for satellites and spacecraft, chemical and electric, that keep a vehicle on orbit and move it between orbits.

See all 24 in-space propulsion roles

Propulsion engineers

5 open

Propulsion roles across the vehicle, from system design to production support.

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

Each specialty's typical pay is measured over its own open roles the way every band on this site is (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), and shown only where at least three distinct rates are posted.

SpecialtyOpen rolesTypical payHighest rate
Propulsion and engine test41$109k–$160k/yr$215k/yr
Engines, turbomachinery and combustion233$112k–$195k/yr$328k/yr
In-space and electric propulsion24$110k–$222k/yr$226k/yr
Fluid and feed systems5Too few ratesNot stated
Propulsion engineers5$58.2k–$130k/yr$132k/yr

What the roles ask for

Read from the requirements of 39 of the 308 open roles for propulsion engineers: the lines each role's pop-up lists from its posting. A role counts once, at the lowest degree it accepts.

0

Ask for a PhD

3

Ask for a master's

35

Ask for a bachelor's or a degree

1

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience31
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)6
  • Name a security clearance6
  • Ask where you live or may work3
  • Ask for coding (Python, SQL and the like)1

The roles that name experience ask for a median of 4 years.

Who hires propulsion engineers in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Inversion Space logoInversion Space3$106k–$193k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries13$109k–$263k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space6$100k–$200k/yr
Apex logoApex12$115k–$226k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space3$129k–$328k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly13$90k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace11Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin68Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company18Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace9Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space2Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX53$100k–$215k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile1Not stated
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies6$90k–$218k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major15$80k–$179k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space32$90k–$185k/yr
Vast logoVast9$86k–$162k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab27$58.2k–$162k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis4$60.3k–$145k/yr
boeing1Not stated
jpl1$119k–$143k/yr
northrop-grumman1Not stated

Ordered by what applying is worth, lifted by a referral boost for the employers that pay us a referral fee; it never changes what an employer pays you.

Where these roles are posted

Roles an employer posts for one country, and roles whose title names a language. Each place opens its own page; each count opens these roles.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do propulsion engineers earn in the space industry?

Across the 159 distinct hourly rates posted for roles for propulsion engineers right now, typical pay runs from $110000 to $201000 an hour, with a median of $130000. The highest posted rate is $327810 an hour, at Stoke Space. 149 of the 308 open roles for propulsion engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

What do propulsion roles ask for?

Usually an engineering degree (mechanical and aerospace are the most common) and hands-on hardware experience in the role's area, from test operations to fluid systems. A license is rarely asked. Each listing states the degree, the years of experience and the location it asks for. Of the 39 open roles for propulsion engineers whose requirements we read, 3 a master's, 35 a bachelor's or a degree and 1 name no degree.

What does a propulsion engineer do at a space company?

A propulsion engineer designs, analyzes and tests the systems that make thrust: engines and their turbomachinery, combustion devices, thrusters, and the valves, lines and tanks that carry propellants. Much of the work is on hardware: building test articles, firing them on a stand and changing the design from what the data shows.

How do space companies hire propulsion 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 (Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries, 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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Propulsion & Engines

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