Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace engineers design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missile systems. They specialize in either aeronautical (atmospheric flight) or astronautical (space) engineering, working on propulsion, structures, avionics, and guidance systems. The BLS reports a median salary of $130,720 with 6% projected growth, driven by commercial space ventures, defense modernization, and next-generation aircraft development.

A Day in the Life

A typical day begins by reviewing wind tunnel test data from a wing redesign and comparing results to computational fluid dynamics simulations. The engineer updates the structural model to account for new load conditions. Mid-day involves a design review meeting with systems engineers and program managers. After lunch, they run thermal analysis on a satellite component, then test avionics firmware in a hardware-in-the-loop simulator. The day ends with documenting test results and updating the project schedule.

Key Stats

Required Skills