Landed the Dream Job - Trajectory Analysis Engineer SpaceX Employee Review

5.0
Oct 24, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- never a dull moment; the job keeps you on your toes - company culture promotes hard work and honest, detailed analysis - everyone here is pretty cool - learn something new every day - rockets are sweet - food/coffee/benefits are great - you get lots of responsibility early on if you want it - company is breaking new ground for the aerospace industry, and being a part of that is amazing - we will get spacecraft and people to mars!

Cons

- work hours can get long (limited time for life outside of work), and those hours are expected (also required for the company to thrive; SpaceX wouldn't be what it is today without this aspect) - stock options instead of 401k matching is a bit risky - while starting salary is competitive, I get the feeling that mid-level is not the greatest compensation wise

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
Jul 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The vision No desk jobs here Powerful company with determined employees Pays below avg and for full time employees and extract as many hours as they can

Cons

Long hours can be challenging if you don’t have a good manager or understanding partner Stocks are good Vacation starts with 3 week/year On site food is not bad Sabbatical at 5 years

5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* **Unmatched Mission & Impact:** You are literally working on rockets and spacecraft. The cool factor is 10/10. * **Brilliant Coworkers:** You will be surrounded by some of the smartest, most driven engineers in the world. * **Insane Career Growth:** SpaceX on your resume is a golden ticket. You will learn more here in 3 months than in 3 years at a normal company. * **Hands-on Experience:** They actually trust interns with real, critical hardware. No boring coffee-fetching tasks.

Cons

**Cons:** * **Zero Work-Life Balance:** 70-80 hours a week is the norm, not the exception. Say goodbye to your social life and sleep. * **Extreme Burnout:** The "hustle culture" is toxic. You are expected to treat the company as your entire life. * **Mediocre Pay:** The hourly pay is average, especially when you factor in the insane hours and the high cost of living in LA/Hawthorne. * **Chaotic Management:** Decisions can change overnight based on whatever Elon Musk tweets or feels like doing that morning.

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