Salary calculator
What does a space industry job pay?
Put in the kind of work, your level and the hours you work. The estimate comes straight from the pay on live open roles at rocket, satellite and launch companies, the same measured rates behind the rest of the site, not a made-up number.
Several years in the role, working independently
Experienced technicians work, 40 hours a week, works out to roughly
About $5,150–$14,150 a month and $1,190–$3,270 a week, at $62k–$170k/yr.
Anchored on 580 advertised rates measured from live open technicians roles across 23 employers, 2026-10-29. This is an estimate of what the work pays, not an offer: real pay depends on the employer, the location, the level you are hired at and what comes on top (overtime, shift premiums, bonuses, equity).
See 1,446 open technicians rolesWhat every kind of work pays at 40 hrs/week
Estimated yearly pay for the level you picked (experienced), by kind of work. Tap a kind of work for who hires for it, or its open roles to see them.
Ranges are typical pay (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) measured from live open roles where enough state a rate, and the compiled benchmark otherwise. Advertised maximums ("up to $X") are excluded because a ceiling is not an observed wage.
How this estimate is calculated
For each kind of work we read the pay advertised on today’s open roles, as an hourly rate, and take its typical pay, 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, with the median in between (the same measure as every pay figure on the site, and the figure its list of roles on the job board states). Someone at entry level is estimated at the lower half of that band, an experienced hire across the typical band, and a senior or specialist hire at the upper half. We never extrapolate above or below the rates actually observed. A year is 52 weeks at the hours you choose, before overtime, bonuses, equity and benefits.
We deliberately exclude roles that advertise only a maximum (“up to $X”), because a ceiling is not pay anyone is being paid. Where too few roles in a kind of work state a rate to measure it live, we fall back to that work’s current typical band and label it as such. See the full methodology and the live pay tables.
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Common questions
How much do space industry jobs pay?
Most space industry roles that state their pay advertise $100k–$230k/yr, measured from the pay on live open roles. At 40 hours a week that is roughly $208,000,000 to $478,400,000 a year. Pay varies most by the kind of work, the level and the location: the calculator above compares every kind of work at your own hours.
Are space industry jobs paid hourly or by salary?
Both. Engineering and professional roles are usually salaried, while many technician, machinist, welder and production roles are paid by the hour, often with overtime and shift premiums. This calculator works in hourly terms because that is how the board compares pay across employers and postings, and turns it into a week, a month and a year at the hours you choose.
Do entry-level hires earn less?
Usually, yes. New hires tend to start near the bottom of a kind of work's pay band, and pay rises with experience and level; senior and specialist roles sit at the top of the band. Internships and co-ops are usually paid by the hour.
Which space industry work pays the most?
Of the kinds of work measured live today, Science, Imaging & Earth Data has the highest median: $175k/yr, from 32 advertised rates across 12 employers. Use the calculator above to compare every kind of work at your own hours.