Also called: Mission Flight Control Officer, Flight Safety Officer
Watches a rocket's path in real time and is ready to trigger its self-destruct system if it veers toward people.
You study flight paths and debris models for weeks before launch. During the flight, you watch the rocket's track against invisible safety lines on a screen, one hand near a button you hope never to press.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering or physics; often Space Force or contractor experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing about average. Not tracked separately; demand rising with record U.S. launch rates.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Autonomous flight termination systems now do much of this on board, so fewer officers; mission rules and oversight stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Computer science, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.