Aerospace Engineer Salary, Job Overview and Career Opportunities

In the early days of space exploration, only a few elite professionals stood a chance of building a space-related career. Today, the job is still a highly prestigious one, but the rapid pace of industry development creates more aerospace careers than ever before. Sure, making it to the professional astronaut corps is still a major endeavour for the elite few, but there are multiple opportunities in the rocket-building segment for talented engineers.

Fancy as it sounds, how lucrative is this field? Below is a comprehensive look at the career of a space engineer, covering the types of roles you might find in this field, typical work duties, along with recent aerospace engineer salary ranges and employment market outlook.

Aerospace engineer jobs explained

Depending on specifics, an aerospace engineer's job description may include anything from Math research to creating actual rockets and testing the prototypes. Since rockets are complex systems with multiple components, space engineer careers come in many flavours.

Besides, one should not forget about the ‘aero’ prefix in the job description. For example, an aeronautical engineer focuses on aircraft and flights within our planet’s atmosphere – so air alone. These professionals work with anything related to aeroplanes, helicopters, and drones.

An astronautical engineer will deal with spacecraft that fly above the Karman line – launch vehicles, satellites, and any other systems that venture into Earth’s orbit and beyond. However, even here, there is a lot of room for career variety. For example, there are dedicated space propulsion engineers and experts who specialise in guidance and navigation.

Employment options: public to private

So, where do aerospace engineers work? With the strengthening partnerships between the private and public space sectors in mind, a gifted aerospace engineer can find employment in both. In the private sector, the actual rocket-building opportunities from major companies are the first example that comes to mind. Besides, the odds of employment in building satellites and their component parts are even higher. Plus, a lot of private R&D firms often employ independent consultants when they get a contract from the government.

Direct government vacancies are also available, particularly in research, oversight, and ensuring compliance with national safety and environmental standards. Besides, laboratories and test facilities need engineers to test and analyse new materials, propulsion methods, flight configurations, etc.

Aerospace engineer salary ranges

A space engineer generally makes € 50,000-70,000 ($52-73K), with France and Germany offering the most generous compensation packages. In the UK, a typical aerospace engineering salary per month ranges from £2,000 to £3,000 as of late 2024. Per year, this translates into £24-36K or $30-45K.

Still, the most prestigious employer in this industry is NASA, which is also reflected in its compensation ranges. An average aerospace engineering salary in NASA varies from $111,000 to $160,000 a year ($9,25-13,3K per month), depending on the position and years of experience.

Of course, an aerospace engineer's starting salary is usually more modest and generally compares with the European compensation packages. Private companies can also pay more, but if one has already shot to the stars, NASA is a worthy aim.

What is the career outlook for aerospace engineers?

Impressive as the salary may be, career availability is still a pressing concern. Clearly, not everyone will make it to NASA, but how about other employment opportunities? The choice is certainly not a common one, but the rise of commercial spaceflight, drone technology, and sustainable aviation regularly creates new employment prospects. In the US alone, the projected growth rate for 2023-2032 stands at 6%.

The EU does not provide any official stats on this subject, but the rise of sustainability projects and the need to meet the carbon-free goals of the Paris Agreement promise high demand for sustainable engineering experts – in fact, the increased demand for terrestrial system engineers is already in full swing, and space jobs may soon follow.

In Asia, countries like India, China, Japan, and Singapore are also increasing their aerospace capabilities. India’s growing space program (via ISRO) and Japan’s commitments to satellite launch services, as well as expanding commercial airline fleets in Southeast Asia, have already caused an increased demand for space engineers.

What aerospace engineering jobs pay the most?

Like with any other industry, a career in aerospace is built over time. Generally, young professionals with little experience cannot count on a high salary, but the longer you stay and learn, the more you can eventually make. In the US, NASA is the most prestigious public contractor, with salary ranges up to $130,000 a year for senior engineers.

Private R&D Firms can also afford to pay similar salary packages, but once again – it’s all about skills and experience. Senior engineering managers can earn up to $160,000 or higher in the US, and a proportionally high salary range applies in other regions – but this road is made by walking, and it may not be the easiest path to tread.

And yet, a space engineering job can be very rewarding. Besides, the industry offers a dynamic, evolving career path in the US, Europe, and Asia, particularly Asia-Pacific. And, considering how quickly space tech is evolving these days, one thing is certain – this job will not be boring!

Author: Emma Thorpe