Find your way into space work
Explore eight career lanes, including the trades, operations, and support roles that make technical work possible.
Start with evidence you already have.
Choose a lane, look at employer job titles, and compare the specific requirements with your own projects and experience. These guides offer search vocabulary and preparation prompts, not a qualification standard.
NASA’s careers overview describes engineers, scientists, program managers, and more. SpaceX’s careers source gives another employer-specific view of available roles. Read the original opening for the requirements that apply to it.
Mission Fit: explore a lane
Two choices suggest role families to explore. This deterministic tool runs locally and does not assess eligibility.
Engineering
Explore mechanical, electrical, aerospace, thermal, propulsion, structures, and systems roles. Look for evidence you can discuss: a design decision, an analysis, a test plan, or a failure you helped resolve.
Search vocabulary: CAD, systems integration, electrical design, test analysis.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find engineering jobsManufacturing & trades
Explore assembly, machining, welding, composites, quality inspection, and test technician titles. Describe the materials, tools, tolerances, safety practices, and production environments you have actually used.
Search vocabulary: Fabrication, assembly, metrology, inspection.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find manufacturing & trades jobsSoftware & data
Explore embedded software, ground systems, simulation, infrastructure, security, and mission data. Show a project with its constraints, tests, and your own contribution. Hardware familiarity is relevant to some roles, not a universal requirement.
Search vocabulary: Embedded systems, simulation, data analysis, infrastructure.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find software & data jobsMission & launch operations
Explore mission control, satellite operations, launch support, ground systems, and operations planning. Examples of procedures, incident response, shift handovers, and reliable execution can help explain transferable experience.
Search vocabulary: Operations planning, procedures, incident response.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find mission & launch operations jobsScience & research
Explore research, instruments, Earth and planetary science, and data-intensive work. Describe your methods, analysis, publications or project evidence. Degree and experience requirements vary by the actual opening.
Search vocabulary: Research methods, instrumentation, scientific computing.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find science & research jobsPrograms & project delivery
Explore program management, project coordination, contracts, and planning. Explain scope, dependencies, tradeoffs, and the outcomes you helped deliver. These titles differ between organizations.
Search vocabulary: Scheduling, risk tracking, coordination, contracts.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find programs & project delivery jobsSupply chain & procurement
Explore purchasing, supplier quality, inventory, logistics, and production planning. Describe the systems, supplier relationships, constraints, and delivery improvements you have worked with.
Search vocabulary: Procurement, logistics, supplier quality, planning.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find supply chain & procurement jobsBusiness & support
Explore finance, people operations, facilities, communications, legal, and commercial roles. Translate your experience through concrete responsibilities and evidence, then read each employer’s own requirements.
Search vocabulary: Finance, communications, facilities, people operations.
A useful next step: Pick one job title, read its employer requirements, and write a short example from your own work that is relevant to those responsibilities.
Find business & support jobs