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Flight and ground software

Space Jobs for Software Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 1,438 open roles for software engineers on , including Muon Space, Array Labs and Anduril; typical pay across them is $149k to $268k a year (median $169k), topped by $377k a year advertised at Blue Origin.

See 239 roles for software engineers
$149k–$268k/yrtypical paylive median $169k/yrup to $377k/yr at Blue Origin

Measured from 937 distinct posted rates, across 73 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 501 of the 1,438 listings open here post no pay at all.

Space companies hire software engineers for the code that flies the vehicle and the software on the ground that builds, tests and operates it. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for software engineers

Updated 30 Oct 2026, 11:02 UTC

Showing the 239 roles that name years of experience, every country. See every role

Flight and embedded software

47 open

Software that runs on the vehicle: flight software, embedded and real-time code, firmware.

Show 37 more flight software roles

Ground, mission and test software

36 open

Software on the ground: mission control and operations tools, telemetry, simulation and test software.

Show 26 more ground software roles

Cloud, DevOps and infrastructure

39 open

The platforms, networks and pipelines a space company's software runs on.

Show 29 more infrastructure roles

Web, backend and applications

31 open

Customer products, internal tools and the factory and business systems a space company runs on.

Show 21 more application roles

Software engineers

86 open

Software engineering roles across space companies.

Show 76 more software 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
Flight and embedded software323$142k–$262k/yr$350k/yr
Ground, mission and test software191$150k–$270k/yr$340k/yr
Cloud, DevOps and infrastructure228$150k–$270k/yr$348k/yr
Web, backend and applications132$150k–$270k/yr$315k/yr
Software engineers564$148k–$265k/yr$377k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 289 out of 1,438 open roles for software 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.

0

Ask for a PhD

8

Ask for a master's

204

Ask for at least a bachelor's

77

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience239
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)126
  • Name a security clearance60
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)33
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition24
  • Ask for a professional license3
  • Ask for a certification1

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

Who hires software engineers in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Muon Space logoMuon Space37$83.2k–$298k/yr
Array Labs logoArray Labs6$150k–$300k/yr
Anduril logoAnduril21$129k–$292k/yr
Hubble Network logoHubble Network1$153k–$250k/yr
Outpost logoOutpost1$275k–$325k/yr
Umbra logoUmbra8$135k–$235k/yr
Cowboy Space logoCowboy Space9$93.6k–$250k/yr
Amazon Leo logoAmazon Leo119$80.1k–$350k/yr
Johns Hopkins APL logoJohns Hopkins APL2$47k–$245k/yr
Portal Space Systems logoPortal Space Systems1$160k–$205k/yr
Astrolab logoAstrolab1$190k–$220k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly40$70k–$340k/yr
Turion Space logoTurion Space1$175k–$225k/yr
E-Space logoE-Space14$120k–$225k/yr
LeoLabs logoLeoLabs4$171k–$195k/yr
Inversion Space logoInversion Space14$101k–$236k/yr
Kymeta logoKymeta1$140k–$190k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space18$62.4k–$240k/yr
General Galactic logoGeneral Galactic2$140k–$250k/yr
Xona Space Systems logoXona Space Systems9$132k–$274k/yr
Loft Federal logoLoft Federal4$100k–$185k/yr
Quindar logoQuindar7$120k–$190k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries6$169k–$216k/yr
BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems logoBAE Systems Space & Mission Systems3$118k–$261k/yr
Loft Orbital logoLoft Orbital16$140k–$275k/yr
Apex logoApex9$125k–$250k/yr
Viasat logoViasat47$43.5k–$265k/yr
Skylo logoSkylo2Not stated
Astra logoAstra2$140k–$240k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space8$58.2k–$347k/yr
Impulse Space logoImpulse Space17$66.6k–$300k/yr
RTX logoRTX13$75.8k–$277k/yr
Capella Space logoCapella Space1$146k–$191k/yr
Planet logoPlanet12$136k–$226k/yr
Epsilon3 logoEpsilon31$120k–$180k/yr
Quantum Space logoQuantum Space2$140k–$200k/yr
BlackSky logoBlackSky6$140k–$205k/yr
Slingshot Aerospace logoSlingshot Aerospace3$100k–$265k/yr
Sophia Space logoSophia Space1$125k–$191k/yr
Vast logoVast12$123k–$268k/yr
Spire Global logoSpire Global10$90k–$203k/yr
CesiumAstro logoCesiumAstro26$113k–$225k/yr
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies10$48.9k–$220k/yr
Reflect Orbital logoReflect Orbital3$56.2k–$64.5k/yr
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin133$55.3k–$377k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space22$102k–$308k/yr
Northwood Space logoNorthwood Space8$120k–$224k/yr
GITAI logoGITAI1$58.2k–$83.2k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace6Not stated
The Aerospace Corporation logoThe Aerospace Corporation32Not stated
ICEYE logoICEYE25Not stated
OHB logoOHB19Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space12Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company11Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace9Not stated
Exotrail logoExotrail7Not stated
Star Catcher logoStar Catcher7Not stated
Constellr logoConstellr6Not stated
Eutelsat logoEutelsat5Not stated
Open Cosmos logoOpen Cosmos5Not stated
Astroscale logoAstroscale4Not stated
Elveo Mobile logoElveo Mobile4Not stated
Reflex Aerospace logoReflex Aerospace4Not stated
Satellogic logoSatellogic4Not stated
Foundational logoFoundational3Not stated
Kepler Communications logoKepler Communications3Not stated
Leaf Space logoLeaf Space3Not stated
Telesat logoTelesat3Not stated
ClearSpace logoClearSpace2Not stated
Dawn Aerospace logoDawn Aerospace2Not stated
Venus Aerospace logoVenus Aerospace2Not stated
Airbus Defence and Space logoAirbus Defence and Space1Not stated
European Space Agency (ESA) logoEuropean Space Agency (ESA)1Not stated
NewOrbit Space logoNewOrbit Space1Not stated
Rocket Factory Augsburg logoRocket Factory Augsburg1Not stated
Sidus Space logoSidus Space1Not stated
Spaceium logoSpaceium1Not stated
Synspective logoSynspective1Not stated
Intuitive Machines logoIntuitive Machines7Not stated
Sierra Space logoSierra Space13$106k–$215k/yr
SES logoSES6$75k–$110k/yr
Starfish Space logoStarfish Space3$100k–$180k/yr
L3Harris logoL3Harris2Not stated
Katalyst Space Technologies logoKatalyst Space Technologies4$105k–$180k/yr
ispace logoispace9$101k–$189k/yr
SpaceX logoSpaceX284$62.4k–$355k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile19Not stated
General Dynamics Mission Systems logoGeneral Dynamics Mission Systems2$138k–$155k/yr
Rendezvous Robotics logoRendezvous Robotics3$85k–$115k/yr
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman40$69.3k–$289k/yr
Vantor logoVantor36$86k–$215k/yr
Boeing logoBoeing14$91.8k–$286k/yr
Terran Orbital logoTerran Orbital2$125k–$190k/yr
United Launch Alliance logoUnited Launch Alliance16$48k–$275k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab36$56.2k–$300k/yr
Iridium logoIridium4$64.5k–$165k/yr
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory4$127k–$222k/yr
Lockheed Martin logoLockheed Martin8$81.1k–$224k/yr
CACI logoCACI9$76k–$190k/yr
Virgin Galactic logoVirgin Galactic3$118k–$202k/yr
Lunar Outpost logoLunar Outpost6$49.9k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major4$110k–$224k/yr
US Space Force logoUS Space Force1$90.5k–$140k/yr
Peraton logoPeraton1$66k–$106k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis21$60.3k–$280k/yr
AstroForge logoAstroForge1$140k–$229k/yr
Benchmark Space Systems logoBenchmark Space Systems1$47.8k–$54.1k/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.

How each employer checks you

For every employer currently hiring software engineers: its process as its own hiring guide describes it, each line with its source. The complete steps sit on that employer's page. 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.

US Space Force logoUS Space Force1 open
Assessment
The qualification review and interview. How to apply
Interview
Interview
Credentials
Add the documents the announcement asks for, such as academic transcripts or military documents like your DD-214. Source

Where these roles are posted

The US states with the most open roles for software engineers, and the roles posted for a single country. A place name leads to its own page, and a country's count lists the matching roles.

In the US, by state

Space industry jobs by US state

The public record, in every industry: 1,717,800 software developers work in the US (2025), projected to grow 10% by 2035, at a median $136k/yr (BLS, May 2025). Open space roles for software engineers post a median $160k/yr, 17.7% above it (pay research). Each state's page gives its own.

What our research measures about software & it 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.

What our research measures about flight software 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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Frequently asked questions

How much do software engineers earn in the space industry?

Going by the 937 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for software engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $149k–$268k/yr and the median is $169k/yr. The top posted figure is $377k/yr, at Blue Origin. 501 of the 1,438 open roles for software engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

Do I need aerospace experience?

Not always: many roles ask for strong software experience in the language and domain they name (C++ and embedded systems for flight software, cloud and web stacks for ground software) rather than space experience. Every posting spells out its exact requirements and work site, so read each one. Of the 289 open roles for software engineers whose requirements we read, 8 a master's, 204 at least a bachelor's and 77 name no degree.

What does a software engineer do at a space company?

A software engineer at a space company writes either the software that runs on the vehicle (flight and embedded code that has to work the first time) or the software around it: mission control, telemetry and simulation, test automation, and the systems the factory and the business run on.

How do space companies hire software 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. Of the employers hiring software engineers now, US Space Force says it checks credentials such as degrees. The section on how each employer checks you quotes each guide with its source.

Are these jobs real?

Every role here is read from a space employer's own careers page or job board (Muon Space, Array Labs, Anduril and Hubble Network 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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Space jobs by profession

Every profession space companies hire, with live counts and pay.

Flight Software & GNC

Every open flight software role across space employers, with live pay.

Ground Software & IT

Every open software & it role across space employers, with live pay.