Also called: Launch pad technician, Aerospace engineering technician
Assembles, tests, and fuels rockets at launch sites like Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Launch techs bolt rocket stages together, run wiring checks, load propellants while wearing protective suits, and work the countdown on launch nights. Many are veterans of aircraft or missile maintenance. Companies like SpaceX, ULA, and Rocket Lab hire them.
Based on BLS aerospace engineering and operations technicians (~$80k median); overtime common.
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 or military technical training (aircraft/missile maintenance) is typical.
Ways in: 2-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Technology, Aviation Maintenance, Electronics Technology.
Growing faster than average. Launch cadence is rising fast with commercial rockets; BLS projects modest growth for the broader category.
Low risk for 10 years. Bolting stages, checking wiring and loading propellants stay hands-on.
Classes: Electronics CTE, Physics, Machine shop CTE.
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.