Also called: Tracking Station Operator, DSN Link Controller
Runs the giant radio dishes in California, Spain, and Australia that talk to every deep-space probe.
You point a 230-foot dish at Voyager, more than 15 billion miles away, lock onto its whisper-faint signal, and keep the link going for the whole pass.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in electronics or military communications experience.
Ways in: 2-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electronics Technology, Telecommunications.
Growing much faster than average (about 8% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated scheduling and lights-out antenna operation cut operator jobs; troubleshooting stays human.
Classes: Electronics CTE, Physics, Computer science, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3021.
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.