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Quality and mission assurance

Space Jobs for Quality Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 451 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 451 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). 237 of the 451 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 30 Oct 2026, 00:01 UTC

Supplier quality

27 open

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

Show 17 more supplier quality roles

Inspection, metrology and NDT

117 open

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

Show 107 more inspection roles

Mission assurance, reliability and safety

229 open

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

Show 219 more mission assurance roles

Quality engineers

78 open

Quality engineering on the factory floor and across the program.

Show 68 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 quality27$77.5k–$156k/yr$235k/yr
Inspection, metrology and NDT117$62.4k–$155k/yr$218k/yr
Mission assurance, reliability and safety229$112k–$225k/yr$280k/yr
Quality engineers78$94k–$182k/yr$275k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 201 out of 451 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

121

Ask for at least a bachelor's

77

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience163
  • Ask for a certification25
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition23
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)17
  • Name nDT Level II or III11
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)7
  • Ask for a professional license4
  • Name an ASQ certification1

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 Space5$139k–$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
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly5$74.9k–$130k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace3Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin78Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace10Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing8Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE6Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space5Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company4Not stated
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman3Not stated
Astroscale logoAstroscale2Not stated
Dawn Aerospace logoDawn Aerospace2Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX169$45.8k–$280k/yr
Planet logoPlanet3$145k–$153k/yr
Spire Global logoSpire Global2Not stated
Vantor logoVantor1$105k–$140k/yr
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
Terran Orbital logoTerran Orbital1$90k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space32$58.5k–$150k/yr
Vast logoVast19$60.3k–$162k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab14$54.1k–$125k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis10$60.3k–$145k/yr

Sorted by the expected value of an application (acceptance odds times posted pay). A referral agreement, if an employer has one, can raise it in this order but never changes the salary it offers.

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.

What our research measures about quality work

Read from the open postings on 2026-10-29 by our space industry research, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the row of the report it comes from.

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Once a week, the quality openings that appeared across every space company we follow, each with its posted salary. No cost, and one click stops it.

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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. 237 of the 451 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 201 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors whose requirements we read, 1 ask for a PhD, 2 a master's, 121 at least a bachelor's and 77 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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