Also called: Mission Control Specialist
Monitors one system of a spacecraft (power, life support, communications) from Mission Control and fixes problems in real time.
You watch streams of data on your console for an 8-hour shift. Most of the time it's calm; then a pump fails on the space station and you and the crew work through procedures together to fix it.
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, physics, or math; then 2-3 years of intense certification training.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). Part of BLS aerospace engineers category.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI anomaly detection and automation handle more routine monitoring; certified controllers still solve problems in crewed missions.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Computer science, Chemistry.
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.