Also called: Astrodynamics Engineer, Orbit Design Engineer
Decides how many satellites to launch, in which orbits, so that thousands of them cover the planet without crashing.
You write simulations of 5,000 satellites circling Earth, checking coverage, collisions, and when to replace old ones. Your choices can change a company's whole business plan.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in aerospace engineering; many have a master's in astrodynamics.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). Part of BLS aerospace engineers category.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI optimizers design orbit layouts far faster, so fewer designers; trade-offs and regulator work stay human.
Classes: AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP 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.