Entry-level space work
Space Jobs With No Experience
Measured from 638 distinct posted rates, across 57 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 754 of the 1,436 listings open here post no pay at all.
These space industry roles say in their title that they are for someone starting out: internships and co-ops, apprenticeships and trainee roles, new graduate and entry-level roles, and the first level of a technician's or an engineer's ladder. Roles that ask for experience but no degree are on the space jobs without a degree page. 1,436 are open right now on 95 employers, including Muon Space, Anduril and Cowboy Space. We pull them straight from the employers' careers sites every hour.
The work you can start without experience
Each discipline below has at least one starter vacancy open, ordered by how many. Click a count to list those vacancies, or a pay figure to see the postings behind it.
Build the hardware with your hands and run the lines that make it: assembly, integration and test technicians, machinists and CNC programmers, welders, composites and additive manufacturing, electrical and harness technicians, and the manufacturing engineers who design the process.
Design and analyze the physical vehicle: primary structures and tanks, mechanisms and deployables, thermal control, materials and processes, loads and stress analysis, aerodynamics and reentry, and the ground support equipment that fuels and handles a vehicle on the pad.
Build the software on the ground: mission and ground-segment software, data platforms, web and backend engineering, cloud and DevOps, IT and cybersecurity, and the factory and business systems a space company runs on.
Tie the vehicle together and prove it works: systems engineering and architecture, requirements and verification, assembly, integration and test (AI&T), environmental testing in thermal vacuum and vibration, and test engineering for whole vehicles and their subsystems.
Run the company and its missions: program and project management, scheduling and program control, business development and sales of launches, satellites and data, finance and accounting, contracts, legal and export control, people and recruiting, and communications.
Write the software that flies the vehicle and steer it: flight and embedded software, firmware, guidance, navigation and control, flight dynamics and orbit determination, and the autonomy that lets a spacecraft rendezvous, land or reenter on its own.
Build the electrical heart of a rocket or satellite: flight computers and avionics boxes, power systems and batteries, harnesses, circuit boards, FPGAs and ASICs, and the electronics that must survive launch loads, vacuum and radiation.
Make spacecraft talk and sense: RF and antenna design, phased arrays, signal processing and modems, optical and laser communication terminals, and the payloads a satellite carries, from broadband and direct-to-phone links to radar and imaging instruments.
Keep the factory and the launch site supplied and running: procurement and buying, supplier management, planning and inventory, logistics, shipping and receiving, warehouses, and the facilities, maintenance and site security of plants, test sites and launch pads.
Make sure the hardware is right before it flies: quality engineering and inspection, mission and product assurance, reliability, nondestructive testing, supplier quality, and environment, health and safety on sites that handle propellants and high-energy systems.
Turn what spacecraft see into knowledge: remote sensing and Earth observation, synthetic aperture radar and optical imaging, geospatial and intelligence analysis, data science and machine learning on satellite data, and the scientists who design missions and instruments.
Design, build and test the engines that move rockets and spacecraft: liquid rocket engines and their turbomachinery, combustion devices and injectors, solid rocket motors, in-space thrusters and electric propulsion, and the fluids and cryogenic systems that feed them.
Get vehicles off the ground and keep them flying: launch site and pad operations, launch control and range, recovery of reusable stages, mission operations and flight control, satellite and constellation operations, and ground station operations around the clock.
A typical pay band (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) appears only once 3 or more distinct rates are published.
Employers hiring people starting out
The employers with open entry-level roles, with the pay those roles state. 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.
Entry-level space jobs by state and metro area
- California378
- The Los Angeles area272
- Colorado159
- The Denver area117
- Texas83
- Washington83
- The San Francisco area59
- The Washington, DC area53
- Virginia44
- Florida35
- Alabama28
- The San Jose area27
- The Boulder area22
- Pennsylvania21
- Maryland20
- The Philadelphia area20
- The Houston area20
- Arizona19
- The Austin area19
- The Huntsville area17
- The Colorado Springs area16
- The Brownsville area13
- The Decatur, AL area11
- Mississippi11
- New Mexico11
- Utah11
Systems, Integration & Test vacancies open to beginners
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 15:02 UTC164 roles, page 1 of 4

Systems Engineering & Integration Software Testing Intern - Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · Colorado Springs, CO· 3d agoDetails
$20.14–$28.15/hr

Mission Architecture Intern (Summer 2027) (opens the job details)
Muon Space · Systems & Test · Woodbridge, VA, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$40/hr
Instrumentation and Controls Engineer I (Operations) (opens the job details)
Relativity Space · Systems & Test · Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, United States· 4mo agoDetails
$90,000–$136,000/yr
Mission Integration Engineer Internship (Spring or Summer 2027) (opens the job details)
Apex · Systems & Test · Los Angeles· 2w agoDetails
$45/hr
Orion Test Operations Engineer-Entry Level - Third Shift (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · FL· 3w agoDetails
$58,200–$108,200/yr
Working student / Werkstudent - Flight Deck / Systems Engineering (m/f/d) (opens the job details)
Boeing · Systems & Test · Neu-Isenburg, Germany· 1d agoDetails

Orion Mechanical Test Operations Engineer Asc - 3rd Shift-Early Career (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · FL· 1w agoDetails
$58,200–$108,200/yr
Communications Test Engineer I (opens the job details)
CesiumAstro · Systems & Test · Milton Keynes, United Kingdom· 1y+ agoDetails

Asteroid Mining Intern (opens the job details)
AstroForge · Systems & Test · Seal Beach, United States· 3w agoDetails
$30.00/hr
Automation & Controls Engineering Intern (Winter 2027) (opens the job details)
Astranis · Systems & Test · San Francisco· 4w agoDetails
$29.00/hr

GNC Hardware Engineering Intern (Summer 2027) (opens the job details)
Muon Space · Systems & Test · Mountain View, CA, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$40/hr
Simulation Intern (opens the job details)
AST SpaceMobile · Systems & Test · Hyderabad, Telangana, India· 1mo agoDetails

Automation & Controls Engineering Intern (Summer 2027) (opens the job details)
Astranis · Systems & Test · San Francisco· 4w agoDetails
$29.00/hr
Thales Alenia Space · Systems & Test · Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France· 3d agoDetails

2027 Vehicle and Ground Concepts Grad Intern (opens the job details)
The Aerospace Corporation · Systems & Test · El Segundo, CA· 1mo agoDetails

Systems Engineer Intern (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · Sunnyvale, CA, United States· 1d agoDetails
$25.18–$35.19/hr
2027 Systems Engineering Intern - Boulder CO (opens the job details)
Northrop Grumman · Systems & Test · Boulder, CO, United States· 2d agoDetails
$21.50–$39.00/hr
Systems Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$82,400–$113,300/yr
Systems Integration Engineer I – Critical Facility Monitoring System (opens the job details)
Blue Origin · Systems & Test · Space Coast, FL, United States· 1w agoDetails

Data Processing Systems Engineer Intern (opens the job details)
KBR · Systems & Test · Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States· 1mo agoDetails

Space Systems - Core Systems Engineering Intern, Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems · Systems & Test · Broomfield, Colorado +5 more· todayDetails
$26.50–$35.75/hr

2027 Space Systems Architect Graduate Intern (opens the job details)
The Aerospace Corporation · Systems & Test · Chantilly, VA, United States of America· 3w agoDetails

Intern (m/f/d) Systems Engineering (opens the job details)
Rocket Factory Augsburg · Systems & Test · Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany· 2mo agoDetails

Integration & Test Intern Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 1mo agoDetails
$28.00/hr
Systems Engineering Intern Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 1mo agoDetails
$28.00/hr
Ground Systems Engineering Intern Spring 2027 (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Stennis Space Center, MS, United States· 2w agoDetails

Systems Engineer Associate - Entry Level (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · Silverdale, WA, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$65,500–$121,700/yr
Hardware Test Intern (Winter 2027) (opens the job details)
Astranis · Systems & Test · San Francisco· 1mo agoDetails
$29.00/hr
Ground Systems Engineering Intern Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Stennis Space Center, MS, United States· 1w agoDetails

HITL Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 3w agoDetails
$82,400–$113,300/yr
2027 Systems Engineering Intern (opens the job details)
Voyager Technologies · Systems & Test · Long Beach· 1mo agoDetails
$23.50–$30.00/hr
Systems Engineering Intern Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Tucson, AZ, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$25.00/hr
EMC Engineering Intern (Summer 2027) (opens the job details)
Impulse Space · Systems & Test · Redondo Beach, California· 1d agoDetails
$32/hr
Propulsion Test Engineer I (opens the job details)
Relativity Space · Systems & Test · Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, United States· 6mo agoDetails
$90,000–$136,000/yr
STAGE–Ingénieur Développement simulateur de charge utile de navigation – F/H (opens the job details)
Thales Alenia Space · Systems & Test · Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France· 1w agoDetails

Vehicle Integration & Test Internship - Spring 2027 (opens the job details)
Varda Space Industries · Systems & Test · El Segundo, California, United States· 2mo agoDetails


Systems Engineering Intern - Summer 2027 (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · King of Prussia, PA, United States· 4d agoDetails
$22.66–$31.67/hr
Aerospace Systems Engineer I – Early Career (2026 Starts) (opens the job details)
Blue Origin · Systems & Test · Greater Seattle Area· 2mo agoDetails
$99,201–$138,880.35/yr

Junior Systems Engineer (opens the job details)
KBR · Systems & Test · Beavercreek, Ohio, United States· 3mo agoDetails
$80,000–$100,000/yr


Integration & Test Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 2w agoDetails
$83,000–$114,000/yr

Systems Integration/Test Engineer Asc - Early Career (opens the job details)
Lockheed Martin · Systems & Test · FL· 4d agoDetails
$58,200–$108,200/yr
Before you apply
- No fees, ever. A real employer never charges you to apply, to interview or to start work. Anyone asking for money for training, equipment or a placement is not hiring you.
- Entry level is not no requirements. Internships and co-ops usually ask that you are enrolled in a degree, and entry-level engineering roles usually ask for the degree itself; technician and trade roles often ask for hands-on training or a certificate. Each posting says what it asks.
- Check who may apply. Many US space roles, internships included, are open only to a U.S. person under export-control rules (ITAR and EAR). Read each posting for the country, the citizenship and the site it asks for.
- Experienced roles pay more. Starter vacancies currently pay a median of $69.3k/yr against $145k/yr for every open role that states its pay.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you get a job in the space industry with no experience?
Yes. 1,436 open space industry roles say in their title that they are for someone starting out right now (that is 8% of all 18,102 vacancies we list), at 95 employers: internships, co-ops, apprenticeships, new graduate, entry-level and first-level roles. A title is a signal, not a promise: an internship usually asks that you are enrolled in a degree and an entry-level engineering role usually asks for the degree itself, so read each posting before you apply.
What is the pay for an entry-level job in the space industry?
Across 57 employers and 638 distinct published rates, starter roles sit at $60.3k–$136k/yr (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 the current median is $69.3k/yr. Experienced roles pay more: every open role on the board that states its pay has a live median of $145k/yr.
What kinds of space jobs can you start without experience?
The most entry-level roles are in Manufacturing & Technicians (191), Mechanical, Structures & Thermal (178), Ground Software & IT (174), Systems, Integration & Test (164). Every kind of work lists its open roles and what they pay.
Which space companies hire people starting out?
ArianeGroup (131), Thales Alenia Space (119), Rocket Lab (112), Lockheed Martin (87), Blue Origin (80) list the most entry-level roles today, of 95 employers with at least one.
Do I need to be a U.S. citizen for an entry-level space job?
For many US roles, yes or close to it: work on rockets, spacecraft and their technical data falls under US export-control rules (ITAR and EAR), so many US space postings, internships included, state that they are open only to a U.S. person (a citizen, a permanent resident or a protected individual). Each posting says what it requires, and the country pages list the roles open in each country.
Do you have to pay to apply for a space job?
No. A real employer never charges you to apply, to interview or to start work. Anyone asking for money for training, equipment or a placement is not hiring you.
Start here
Space jobs by profession
Every profession the space industry hires, with its open roles and pay.
Remote space jobs
The space industry roles you can do from home, by kind of work.
Space jobs by discipline
Each discipline the industry hires for, with live vacancies and pay.
Space industry pay
Live pay by kind of work and employer, from the open roles.
Salary calculator
What your kind of work and level pays, from the live roles.
Space jobs by country
The roles open in each country, and who hires there.