Also called: Asteroid Mining Engineer, Lunar Mining Engineer
Plans how to dig up and process resources on the Moon and asteroids.
You design an excavator that works in low gravity where dirt behaves strangely, study maps of lunar ice deposits, and estimate whether a mining operation could ever pay off.
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 mining or geological engineering; the Colorado School of Mines has a space resources program.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Space Resources.
Growing faster than average. Emerging field not tracked by BLS; depends on NASA Artemis and private investment.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps plan digging and processing; testing machines in lunar-like dirt and future field work stay human.
Classes: Earth science, AP Physics, Chemistry, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2151.
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.