74 OPEN
SALARIES · MISSION OPERATIONS ENGINEER
Mission Operations Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for mission operations engineer roles in space. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$170,000 – $215,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$130K
[ SENIOR ]
$170K
[ STAFF ]
$215K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$270K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01
Senior Technical Program Manager, Customer Terminal and RF Ground StationsBlue Origin·Greater Seattle Area$198K–$277K - 02
Staff Open Architecture Systems Engineer, Ground SystemsAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States; Washington, District of Columbia, United States$191K–$253K - 03RMission Operations Responsible Engineer/ScientistRelativity Space·Long Beach, California$164K–$246K
- 04Associate Director, Army Mission OperationsAnduril Industries·Washington, District of Columbia, United States$191K–$239K
- 05Associate Director, Army Mission OperationsAnduril Industries·Seattle, Washington, United States$191K–$239K
- 06Principal Ground Systems Architecture and Site Selection - New GlennBlue Origin·Greater Seattle Area$161K–$237K
- 07TSenior Systems Engineer, Ground SystemsTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO$125K–$235K
- 08Ground Systems Software Engineer IIIBlue Origin·Greater Seattle Area$165K–$231K
- 09VStaff Mission Operations EngineerVast·Long Beach, California, United States$162K–$230K
- 10VSenior Mission Operations Engineer - Ground SegmentVast·Long Beach, California, United States$137K–$230K
§ 03Top employers hiring mission operations engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Anduril Industries | 23 | $170K |
| Rocket Lab | 12 | $99K |
| Blue Origin | 9 | $193K |
| Isar Aerospace | 5 | — |
| ispace | 4 | — |
| K2 Space | 3 | $155K |
| Sierra Space | 3 | $141K |
| Varda Space | 3 | $158K |
§ 04Top cities hiring mission operations engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | 10 | $168K |
| Auckland | 7 | — |
| Long Beach | 5 | $185K |
| Greater Seattle Area | 4 | $198K |
| Tokyo | 4 | — |
| Ottobrunn | 4 | — |
| Los Angeles | 3 | $155K |
| El Segundo | 3 | $158K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do mission operations engineers make in the space industry?
- Senior mission operations engineers in the space industry typically earn $170K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $215K and principal-level reach $270K. Numbers are median base salary across 76 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private space companies.
- Who is hiring the most mission operations engineers right now?
- Anduril Industries (23 open roles), Rocket Lab (12 open roles), and Blue Origin (9 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 74 open mission operations engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most mission operations engineer jobs located?
- The top space industry hubs for mission operations engineer roles right now are Costa Mesa, Auckland, 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 mission operations 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 mission operations engineer role