79 OPEN
SALARIES · GN&C ENGINEER
GN&C Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for gn&c engineer roles in space. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$210,000 – $270,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$155K
[ SENIOR ]
$210K
[ STAFF ]
$270K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$340K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01TPrincipal GNC EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$180K–$305K
- 02
Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer - Secret ClearanceRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$195K–$295K - 03TStaff GNC EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$165K–$290K
- 04TGNC Engineer, Missile DefenseTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$115K–$290K
- 05TGNC EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$115K–$290K
- 06
GN&C Guidance and Flight Controls Engineer – Lunar PermanenceBlue Origin·Greater Seattle Area$182K–$277K - 07TDirector of Guidance Navigation & ControlTurion Space·Irvine, CA$200K–$273K
- 08KPrincipal Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) EngineerK2 Space·Los Angeles, CA$190K–$260K
- 09
Senior GNC Engineer, SpaceAnduril Industries·Washington, District of Columbia, United States$191K–$253K - 10Senior GNC Engineer, SpaceAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$253K
§ 03Top employers hiring gn&c engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | 15 | $150K |
| Rocket Lab | 12 | $145K |
| Blue Origin | 9 | $182K |
| True Anomaly | 8 | $199K |
| Anduril Industries | 7 | $193K |
| Xona Space Systems | 5 | $185K |
| Inversion Space | 4 | $180K |
| K2 Space | 3 | $190K |
§ 04Top cities hiring gn&c engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | 11 | $165K |
| Greater Seattle Area | 9 | $182K |
| Denver | 8 | $199K |
| Burlingame | 5 | $185K |
| Costa Mesa | 5 | $193K |
| Hawthorne | 5 | $150K |
| Redmond | 5 | $150K |
| Playa Vista | 4 | $180K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do gn&c engineers make in the space industry?
- Senior gn&c engineers in the space industry typically earn $210K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $270K and principal-level reach $340K. Numbers are median base salary across 142 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private space companies.
- Who is hiring the most gn&c engineers right now?
- SpaceX (15 open roles), Rocket Lab (12 open roles), and Blue Origin (9 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 79 open gn&c engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most gn&c engineer jobs located?
- The top space industry hubs for gn&c engineer roles right now are Long Beach, Greater Seattle Area, and Denver. 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 gn&c 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 gn&c engineer role