How to Get a Job on Project Ignition: Career Guide for NASA's Moon Base Program

Project Ignition is a $20 billion program that will employ thousands of engineers, scientists, managers, and technicians across NASA, prime contractors, subcontractors, and international partners over the next seven years. If you want to work on the program that builds humanity's first permanent Moon base, the window is opening now. Here is your roadmap. For live contract and milestone tracking, visit our Ignition Tracker.

Who Is Hiring

NASA Directly

NASA hires civil servants through USAJobs.gov, the federal government's job portal. Positions related to Ignition will be posted primarily under NASA Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX — crew systems, mission operations, astronaut training), NASA Kennedy Space Center (Florida — launch operations, ground systems), NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL — propulsion, SLS), and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD — science instruments, communications).

NASA civil servant positions typically require US citizenship. The hiring process is notoriously slow — expect 3–6 months from application to offer. The advantage is job security, a federal pension, and the prestige of working directly for the agency.

Prime Contractors

The majority of hands-on Ignition work will be performed by contractor employees, not NASA civil servants. The prime contractors hiring the most Ignition-related talent include:

• SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA; Boca Chica, TX; Cape Canaveral, FL) — Starship HLS development, manufacturing, launch operations
• Blue Origin (Kent, WA; Huntsville, AL; Cape Canaveral, FL) — Blue Moon lander, habitat development
• Lockheed Martin (Denver, CO; Houston, TX) — Orion production, mission operations
• Northrop Grumman (Dulles, VA; Chandler, AZ) — HALO module, solid rocket boosters
• Boeing (Huntsville, AL; New Orleans, LA) — SLS core stage production

Contractor positions often move faster than government hiring and may offer higher base salaries, though without federal benefits like the pension and leave accrual.

CLPS and Mid-Tier Companies

The expansion of CLPS under Ignition Phase 1 means growing headcount at companies building lunar landers and surface systems:

• Intuitive Machines (Houston, TX) — Nova-C lander operations, next-gen lander development
• Astrobotic (Pittsburgh, PA) — Griffin lander, lunar delivery services
• Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, TX) — Blue Ghost lander, Alpha launch vehicle
• Axiom Space (Houston, TX) — AxEMU spacesuit development, commercial space station
• Draper (Cambridge, MA) — Guidance and navigation systems, lunar lander development

These companies are typically smaller, move faster, and offer the chance to wear multiple hats. They are often the best entry point for early-career engineers who want rapid responsibility.

In-Demand Roles and Skills

Engineering Disciplines

The following engineering specialties are in highest demand across Ignition-related programs:

• Systems engineering — The most universally needed discipline. Ignition involves integrating hardware from multiple contractors and international partners. Systems engineers who can manage interfaces, requirements, and trade studies are essential at every level.
• Propulsion engineering — Rocket engines (RS-25, Raptor, BE-7), reaction control systems, and in-space propulsion for landers and transfer vehicles.
• Avionics and GN&C — Guidance, navigation, and control for precision lunar landing, autonomous surface operations, and vehicle-to-vehicle rendezvous.
• Structural and thermal engineering — Designing hardware to survive launch loads, the vacuum of space, and the extreme thermal environment of the lunar surface (250°F in sunlight, -280°F in shadow).
• Software engineering — Flight software, ground systems, mission planning tools, autonomous operations, and data infrastructure. Software is increasingly the differentiator in modern space systems.
• ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization) specialists — A niche but growing field. Ignition Phase 1 includes water extraction and electrolysis experiments. Engineers with expertise in chemical processing, mining, or resource extraction adapted for the lunar environment are in rare and growing demand.
• Nuclear power engineers — Ignition plans to deploy small nuclear fission reactors for surface power. Engineers with nuclear engineering backgrounds, particularly in small modular reactor design, have an unusual opportunity.
• Life support and ECLSS — Environmental Control and Life Support Systems engineers design the air, water, and thermal management systems that keep humans alive in habitats. This is critical for Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Non-Engineering Roles

Not every Ignition job requires an engineering degree:

• Project and program managers — Managing schedules, budgets, and contractor relationships across a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar program
• Mission operations specialists — Flight controllers, planners, and analysts who manage missions in real time from mission control
• Quality assurance and safety — Ensuring hardware meets specifications and human-rating requirements
• Procurement and contracts — Managing the complex web of federal contracts, task orders, and international agreements
• Communications and public affairs — NASA and its contractors need people who can explain this program to Congress, the media, and the public
• Technicians and manufacturing — Building, integrating, and testing flight hardware requires skilled technicians, welders, machinists, and composite fabricators

Security Clearance Requirements

Most Ignition-related work is unclassified. NASA is a civilian agency, and the Artemis/Ignition program is an international partnership with allies, which limits classification. However:

• US citizenship is required for most NASA civil servant positions and many contractor positions that involve access to export-controlled hardware (ITAR)
• Some positions at defense-adjacent contractors (Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris) may require a Secret or Top Secret clearance, particularly if the role spans both civil and defense space programs
• CLPS companies and commercial-focused roles at SpaceX and Blue Origin generally require US person status (citizen or permanent resident) due to ITAR, but not a formal security clearance
• International partner positions (ESA, JAXA, CSA) have their own citizenship and clearance requirements

If you do not currently hold a clearance, do not let that stop you from applying. Many companies will sponsor clearance processing for the right candidate. The process takes 6–12 months for Secret and 12–18 months for Top Secret.

Salary Ranges

Compensation varies significantly by employer, location, and experience level. The following ranges are based on publicly available data from job postings, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and industry surveys as of early 2026:

Role	Entry Level (0–3 years)	Mid-Career (4–10 years)	Senior / Lead (10+ years)
Systems Engineer	$85,000–$110,000	$110,000–$155,000	$150,000–$200,000
Propulsion Engineer	$90,000–$115,000	$115,000–$160,000	$155,000–$210,000
Software Engineer	$95,000–$130,000	$130,000–$180,000	$170,000–$250,000+
GN&C Engineer	$90,000–$115,000	$115,000–$160,000	$155,000–$210,000
Project Manager	$80,000–$105,000	$105,000–$150,000	$145,000–$220,000
Program Manager	N/A	$120,000–$170,000	$170,000–$250,000+
Technician	$50,000–$70,000	$70,000–$95,000	$90,000–$120,000

SpaceX and Blue Origin tend to pay somewhat below market base salary but compensate with equity that can be substantial if the companies appreciate in value. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing pay closer to market with more traditional benefits packages. NASA civil servant pay follows the General Schedule (GS) scale, typically GS-9 to GS-15, with locality pay adjustments that vary significantly by region.

Career Path: How to Get There

Students and Recent Graduates

Internships are the single most effective way into the space industry. NASA's internship program (intern.nasa.gov) places thousands of students at NASA centers every year. Major contractors all run intern programs as well. An internship at any Artemis-related organization is a direct pipeline to full-time Ignition work.

Target degrees include aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, physics, and systems engineering. But the industry also needs materials scientists, nuclear engineers, geologists (for ISRU), and even psychologists (for long-duration crew support).

Career Changers

The space industry is increasingly hiring from adjacent sectors. Defense, automotive, energy, mining, and software industries all produce skills directly applicable to Ignition. If you have experience with autonomous systems, nuclear power, chemical processing, composite manufacturing, or large-scale project management, you have transferable skills the space industry needs.

Building Your Network

Space industry hiring is heavily network-driven. Attend conferences (Space Symposium, SATELLITE, IAC, SmallSat), join professional organizations (AIAA, Space Foundation), and engage with the community. Many positions are filled through referrals before they are even posted publicly.

For current space industry job openings and salary data, visit our Space Talent Hub. For salary benchmarking across the industry, see our salary benchmarks tool. For a broader look at space careers, read our space industry careers guide.

Track Project Ignition live: Visit our Ignition Tracker for real-time milestones, contract tracking, and company involvement.