Ranked list · 23 careers
23 Space Industry Jobs, Ranked by Fit and Pay (2026)
Astrodynamics Engineer tops this list at $134,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +8.3% projected employment change over 2025–2035. Below are 23 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.
- Careers on this list
- 23From 1,731 in the bank
- Median pay on the list
- $130,220BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Projected to grow
- 23 of 23BLS EP, 2025–2035
- Openings a year
- 90,600Combined, BLS EP
Method
How we built this list
Careers in the space industry: aerospace and spacecraft engineers, mission operations, astronomers and planetary scientists, and the technicians who build launch hardware. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages.
- Careers in the space industry: aerospace and spacecraft engineers, mission operations, astronomers and planetary scientists, and the technicians who build launch hardware. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages.
- Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
- The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.
The list
The top 23 space jobs
100% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.
- 1
1. Astrodynamics Engineer
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Calculates and plans spacecraft orbits and trajectories, determines where satellites are, and helps avoid collisions with debris and other objects.
- 2
2. Astronaut
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Master's
Trains for and flies on space missions, operating spacecraft, running experiments, performing spacewalks and supporting mission control on the ground.
- 3
3. Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Designs the algorithms and sensors that tell rockets, spacecraft, missiles and drones where they are, where to go and how to steer there.
- 4
4. Launch Engineer
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Prepares rockets and their ground systems for launch, runs countdowns from the control room and integrates payloads onto launch vehicles.
- 5
5. Rocket Propulsion Engineer
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Designs, builds and tests rocket engines and spacecraft thrusters, from turbopumps and injectors to valves, tanks and plumbing.
- 6
6. Spacecraft Flight Controller
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Monitors and commands crewed spacecraft or satellites from a mission control center, keeping each system healthy and responding when something fails.
- 7
7. Spacecraft Systems Engineer
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Defines the requirements of a satellite or spacecraft and makes sure its power, propulsion, communications, thermal and software subsystems work together.
- 8
8. Spacecraft Thermal Engineer
Specialty within aerospace engineer
- Median pay
- $134,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Keeps spacecraft electronics, batteries, instruments and crews within safe temperatures in the extreme heat and cold of space.
- 9
9. Satellite Communications Engineer
Specialty within electronics engineer, except computer
- Median pay
- $130,220median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 4,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Designs and operates the radio links, ground stations and payloads that let satellites carry internet, TV, navigation and military communications.
- 10
10. Astronomer
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $128,820median a year
- Growth
- +7.8%
- Openings / yr
- 100
- Education
- Doctorate
Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.
- 11
11. Planetary Scientist
Specialty within geoscientist, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median pay
- $101,920median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +5.1%
- Openings / yr
- 1,800
- Education
- Doctorate
Studies the planets, moons, asteroids and comets of the solar system using spacecraft data, telescopes, meteorites and lab experiments.
- 12
12. Space Weather Forecaster
Specialty within atmospheric and space scientist
- Median pay
- $99,070median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Monitors the Sun and near-Earth space to forecast solar flares, radiation storms and geomagnetic storms that affect satellites, power grids, GPS and flights.
- 13
13. Astrobiologist
Specialty within biologist
- Median pay
- $98,920median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +4.7%
- Openings / yr
- 4,300
- Education
- Doctorate
Researches how life began and evolved on Earth and whether it exists elsewhere, from extreme environments on Earth to Mars and ocean moons.
- 14
14. Propulsion Test Technician
Specialty within aerospace engineering and operations technologist and technician
- Median pay
- $82,890median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 1,100
- Education
- Associate's
Assembles, plumbs, instruments and operates rocket engine test stands and launch hardware, handling high-pressure gases and cryogenic propellants.
- 15
15. Space Domain Awareness Analyst
Specialty within aerospace engineering and operations technologist and technician
- Median pay
- $82,890median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 1,100
- Education
- Associate's
Tracks satellites and space debris, predicts close approaches between objects in orbit, and warns operators so collisions can be avoided.
- 16
16. Aerospace Medicine Physician
Specialty within preventive medicine physician
- Median pay
- $265,930median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +3.4%
- Openings / yr
- 9,400
- Education
- Doctorate
A physician who keeps pilots, aircrew, and astronauts healthy and fit to fly, and studies how flight and space affect the body.
- 17
17. Physicist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $172,250median a year
- Growth
- +7.2%
- Openings / yr
- 1,300
- Education
- Doctorate
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
- 18
18. Aerospace Engineer
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $134,960median a year
- Growth
- +8.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft.
- 19
19. FPGA Engineer
Specialty within electronics engineer, except computer
- Median pay
- $130,220median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 4,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Designs digital circuits that run on reprogrammable chips called FPGAs, used in radar, telecom, trading systems, medical imaging and space hardware.
- 20
20. Additive Manufacturing Engineer
Specialty within manufacturing engineer
- Median pay
- $102,440median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +12.4%
- Openings / yr
- 23,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
Develops industrial 3D printing processes that build metal and polymer parts layer by layer for aerospace, medical and energy uses.
- 21
21. Atmospheric and Space Scientist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $99,070median a year
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and other uses.
- 22
22. Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $82,890median a year
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 1,100
- Education
- Associate's
Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, po…
- 23
23. Aerospace Composite Technician
Specialty within fiberglass laminator and fabricator
- Median pay
- $46,880median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +4.6%
- Openings / yr
- 1,700
- Education
- High school
Builds and repairs aircraft and spacecraft parts made from carbon fiber and other composite materials.
Questions
Space Jobs: FAQ
What is the top career on the space jobs list?
Astrodynamics Engineer leads the list with a median wage of $134,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +8.3% over 2025–2035. Typical entry-level education is bachelor's.
How was this list put together?
Careers in the space industry: aerospace and spacecraft engineers, mission operations, astronomers and planetary scientists, and the technicians who build launch hardware. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Careers in the space industry: aerospace and spacecraft engineers, mission operations, astronomers and planetary scientists, and the technicians who build launch hardware. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and O*NET 31.0 Database.
How much do space jobs pay?
Across the 23 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $130,220 a year, from $46,880 at the bottom to $265,930 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.
How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?
1 of the 23 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).