Satellite Operations Engineer

Description: Operations Engineers for satellite missions perform spacecraft health monitoring, trending, testing and report generation.

Knowledge Required: Computers, math, aerodynamics, propulsion, navigation, physics, thermodynamics, English

Skills: Strong programming, organizational and communication skills. Engineers are problem solvers. They make things work better, more efficiently, quicker and less expensively.

Career Path: Most satellite operations or aerospace engineers have a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, mathematics, or information systems.

Best Cities for this job: California’s Los Angeles Metropolitan area is the greatest employer of aerospace engineers. Other good cities for the job include Houston, Washington DC, and the Silicon Valley area.

Median Annual Income: National: $92,520 CA: $108,750

Future Growth: The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 10 percent increase in job opportunities in this field as new technologies and new designs for commercial and military aircraft and spacecraft produced during the next decade will spur demand for aerospace engineers.

From the field: “I do wish that there was more diversity [in this industry].There’s not a lot of women and definitely not a lot of Latinas. I think we definitely bring a different mentality to the group and could help freshen up some ideas.” - Veronica Navarro, Satellite Operations Engineer