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Quality and mission assurance

Space Jobs for Quality Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 446 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors on , including Muon Space, Xona Space Systems and Varda Space Industries; typical pay across them is $88.4k to $209k a year (median $123k), topped by $280k a year advertised at SpaceX.

See 90 roles for quality engineers and inspectors
$88.4k–$209k/yrtypical paylive median $123k/yrup to $280k/yr at SpaceX

Measured from 214 distinct posted rates, across 20 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 232 of the 446 listings open here post no pay at all.

Space companies hire quality engineers and inspectors to make sure every part is right before it flies, from the supplier's dock to the launch pad. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for quality engineers and inspectors

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 18:01 UTC

Showing the 90 roles that name years of experience, every country. See every role

A few of our links carry a referral code. When one leads to a hire, the employer may pay us a fee; you pay nothing, and the salary on offer stays the same.

Supplier quality

8 open

Make sure the parts suppliers deliver meet the drawing: audits, first article inspection and corrective action.

Inspection, metrology and NDT

19 open

Inspect and measure hardware, and test it without breaking it (NDT).

Show 9 more inspection roles

Mission assurance, reliability and safety

48 open

Reliability analysis, mission and product assurance, and safety engineering for flight hardware and the sites that build it.

Show 38 more mission assurance roles

Quality engineers

15 open

Quality engineering on the factory floor and across the program.

Show 5 more quality 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
Supplier quality26$77.5k–$156k/yr$235k/yr
Inspection, metrology and NDT116$62.4k–$155k/yr$218k/yr
Mission assurance, reliability and safety228$112k–$225k/yr$280k/yr
Quality engineers76$94k–$182k/yr$275k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 113 out of 446 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors, the same lines each role's pop-up quotes from its posting. Each role is counted once, at the lowest degree it will accept.

1

Ask for a PhD

2

Ask for a master's

71

Ask for at least a bachelor's

39

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience90
  • Ask for a certification14
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)12
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)6
  • Name nDT Level II or III4
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition4
  • Ask for a professional license3

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

Who hires quality engineers and inspectors in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Muon Space logoMuon Space6$83.2k–$233k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems1$62.4k–$104k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries4$140k–$179k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space9$62.4k–$220k/yr
Apex logoApex8$58.2k–$235k/yr
Loft Orbital logoLoft Orbital2$157k–$239k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space3$54.6k–$194k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space4$100k–$235k/yr
Vantor logoVantor1$105k–$140k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly5$74.9k–$130k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace3Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin80Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace10Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE6Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space5Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company4Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing3Not stated
Astroscale logoAstroscale2Not stated
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman2Not stated
Dawn Aerospace logoDawn Aerospace1Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX169$45.8k–$280k/yr
Planet logoPlanet3$145k–$153k/yr
Spire Global logoSpire Global2Not stated
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile15Not stated
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies8$41.6k–$175k/yr
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory6$83.8k–$175k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major9$57.5k–$275k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space32$58.5k–$150k/yr
Terran Orbital logoTerran Orbital1$90k/yr
Vast logoVast19$60.3k–$162k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab13$54.1k–$125k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis10$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 quality engineers and inspectors earn in the space industry?

Going by the 214 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for quality engineers and inspectors (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $88.4k–$209k/yr and the median is $123k/yr. The top posted figure is $280k/yr, at SpaceX. 232 of the 446 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors state no pay, so check each listing.

What do quality roles ask for?

Quality engineering roles usually ask for an engineering degree; inspector roles often ask for inspection experience instead, and some for an NDT level. Every posting spells out its exact requirements and work site, so read each one. Of the 113 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors whose requirements we read, 1 ask for a PhD, 2 a master's, 71 at least a bachelor's and 39 name no degree.

What does a quality engineer or inspector do at a space company?

Quality engineers and inspectors at a space company check that hardware matches its design: they inspect and measure parts, run nondestructive tests, review build records, work with suppliers on their parts, and trace each problem to its cause.

How do space companies hire quality engineers and inspectors?

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, Xona Space Systems, Varda Space Industries and K2 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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Quality & Mission Assurance

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