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Quality and mission assurance

Space Jobs for Quality Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 444 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors on , including Muon Space, Xona Space Systems and Varda Space Industries; their typical pay runs $87.9k to $210k a year, with a median of $123k, and the highest advertised rate is $280k a year at SpaceX.

See 32 roles for quality engineers and inspectors
$87.9k–$210k/yrtypical paylive median $123k/yrup to $280k/yr at SpaceX

Measured from 212 distinct posted rates, across 20 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 232 of the 444 open roles here state no pay.

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. Every role is checked against its employer's job board every hour.

Live roles for quality engineers and inspectors

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 15:01 UTC

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Inspection, metrology and NDT

13 open

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

Show 3 more inspection roles

Mission assurance, reliability and safety

13 open

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

Show 3 more mission assurance roles

Quality engineers

6 open

Quality engineering on the factory floor and across the program.

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
Supplier quality26$77.5k–$156k/yr$235k/yr
Inspection, metrology and NDT116$62.4k–$155k/yr$218k/yr
Mission assurance, reliability and safety226$112k–$225k/yr$280k/yr
Quality engineers76$94k–$182k/yr$275k/yr

What the roles ask for

Read from the requirements of 64 of the 444 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors: the lines each role's pop-up lists from its posting. A role counts once, at the lowest degree it accepts.

1

Ask for a PhD

2

Ask for a master's

35

Ask for a bachelor's or a degree

26

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience52
  • Ask for a certification11
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)8
  • Name nDT Level II or III3
  • Ask for coding (Python, SQL and the like)2
  • Ask where you live or may work2
  • Ask for a professional license1

The roles that name experience ask for a median of 4 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
Planet logoPlanet3$145k–$153k/yr
SpaceX logoSpaceX169$45.8k–$280k/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 Lab11$54.1k–$95.2k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis10$60.3k–$145k/yr

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 quality engineers and inspectors earn in the space industry?

Across the 212 distinct hourly rates posted for roles for quality engineers and inspectors right now, typical pay runs from $87900 to $210000 an hour, with a median of $123000. The highest posted rate is $280000 an hour, at SpaceX. 232 of the 444 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. Each listing states what it requires and where it is based. Of the 64 open roles for quality engineers and inspectors whose requirements we read, 1 ask for a PhD, 2 a master's, 35 a bachelor's or a degree and 26 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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