120 OPEN
SALARIES · FLIGHT SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Flight Software Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for flight software engineer roles in space. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$215,000 – $275,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$160K
[ SENIOR ]
$215K
[ STAFF ]
$275K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$345K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01
Principal Flight Software EngineerRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$160K–$324K - 02
Staff Flight Software Engineer, Embedded C/C++, Air Dominance & StrikeAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$292K - 03Senior Flight Software EngineerAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K–$292K
- 04Staff Flight Software Engineer, Embedded C/C++, Air Dominance & Strike - Advanced EffectsAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$292K
- 05TPrincipal Flight Software EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$180K–$285K
- 06
Senior Software Engineer - Flight SoftwareAstranis·San Francisco$200K–$280K - 07LDirector of Embedded Software & FPGA EngineeringLoft Orbital·Golden, CO$195K–$275K
- 08XDirector of Flight Software EngineeringXona Space Systems·Burlingame, California$218K–$274K
- 09Senior Flight Software Engineer IIRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$143K–$272K
- 10Senior Flight Software Engineer II - Secret ClearanceRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$143K–$272K
§ 03Top employers hiring flight software engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | 27 | $163K |
| Anduril Industries | 15 | $222K |
| Rocket Lab | 13 | $166K |
| Astranis | 8 | $180K |
| True Anomaly | 6 | $190K |
| Inversion Space | 6 | $170K |
| K2 Space | 6 | $180K |
| ispace | 5 | $127K |
§ 04Top cities hiring flight software engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | 10 | $210K |
| Redmond | 10 | $163K |
| Long Beach | 9 | $192K |
| San Francisco | 8 | $180K |
| Hawthorne | 7 | $160K |
| Playa Vista | 6 | $170K |
| Denver | 6 | $190K |
| El Segundo | 5 | $193K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do flight software engineers make in the space industry?
- Senior flight software engineers in the space industry typically earn $215K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $275K and principal-level reach $345K. Numbers are median base salary across 198 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private space companies.
- Who is hiring the most flight software engineers right now?
- SpaceX (27 open roles), Anduril Industries (15 open roles), and Rocket Lab (13 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 120 open flight software engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most flight software engineer jobs located?
- The top space industry hubs for flight software engineer roles right now are Costa Mesa, Redmond, and Long Beach. Defense space tends to concentrate in DC/Northern Virginia and Colorado Springs (clearance-required roles), while commercial launch is heaviest in LA basin and Florida's Space Coast.
- Do flight software engineer roles in space require security clearance?
- Many do. Defense space programs at Anduril, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, and the US Space Force require Secret or TS/SCI clearance. Commercial-space roles at SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Vast, and Astranis generally do not, though some specific government contracts may. ITAR registration is more common than clearance — most rocket roles require it.
§ 06See all open roles
Browse every flight software engineer role