---
title: 'Automation & Controls Engineer, Launch Hardware Production (Starship) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/automation-controls-engineer-launch-hardware-production-starship-spacex-cape-9ats2prx4ttf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Automation & Controls Engineer, Launch Hardware Production (Starship) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Cape Canaveral, FL
- **Posted:** 2026-10-20
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8901369002?gh_jid=8901369002

## Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

Automation & Controls Engineer, Launch Hardware Production (Starship)

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

Automation & Controls Engineer, Launch Hardware Production (Starship)

This role owns the controls that build Starship.

You will design, commission, and operate the automation behind production systems. A 24-lane, 750,000 sq ft Starship Refurbishment facility (Gigabay) built to assemble & refurbish Starship at rate. Industrial air separation units upstream of the propellant farms. Heat shield tile manufacturing. This team owns that controls scope end to end. The work runs from a blank cabinet and a P&ID to a plant that stays up. You will specify instrumentation, program PLCs, pull in the data, commission the equipment, and then live with it in production. When a lane stops, a cold box trips, or a furnace drifts, you find it, fix it, and change the system so it does not happen again.

This position is based in Cape Canaveral, FL (Kennedy Space Center).

## RESPONSIBILITIES

- Design, build, and commission the controls for a 24-lane Gigabay: production tooling, lifts, fixtures, factory services, and the data layer the floor uses.
- Bring industrial air separation units online and keep them running. Own the instrumentation, interlocks, and control narratives for compression, cold box, distillation, storage, and transfer into the propellant farms.
- Own controls for heat shield tile manufacturing: thermal process equipment, material handling, inspection, and the data that ties process settings to tile quality.
- Stand up new equipment from first power-on through rate production, then own uptime once it is live.
- Develop and upgrade data acquisition and control systems as the factory, the air separation plant, and the tile line change.
- Maintain the operational capability of control-voltage (<60V) electrical systems once activated.
- Turn sensor and PLC data into something operators and responsible engineers can act on the same shift.
- Support controls technicians and the mechanical, facilities, and process engineers who depend on these systems.
- Design hardware and work methods that cut cost, install time, and the time it takes to recover a down line.
- Analyze data to judge the health of electrical and process systems, and use it to drive the next change.

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in physics, electrical engineering, or computer engineering.
- 6+ months of experience working with data acquisition systems (internship or project experience qualifies).

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

- Demonstrated ability to design, implement, commission, and troubleshoot industrial control and data acquisition hardware.
- Hands-on PLC and industrial network experience: Modbus, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, or equivalent.
- Experience commissioning process or factory equipment and supporting it after it is in production.
- Working knowledge of instrumentation in classified and cryogenic service (NFPA 70, NFPA 70E; Class I, Division 1 and Division 2, or IEC equivalent).
- Fundamental understanding of the equipment behind a plant: sensors, valves, drives, analyzers, power distribution, grounding, and signal integrity.
- Familiarity with mixed-signal electronics, schematic capture, and PCB design, verification, or validation where custom hardware is the right answer.
- First-hand programming experience beyond ladder: enough software to move data out of a controller and into a tool the factory can use.
- Knowledge of high-reliability build, test, and documentation practices.
- Excellent written and verbal communication. You will write the narrative, then go stand at the panel with the technician.
- Strong work ethic, a bias for finishing, and the ability to change roles quickly in a high-paced environment.
- Ability to drive work with incomplete information and to keep several systems moving at once.
- Passion for making the hardware that makes flight rate possible.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

- Ability to pass an Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral.
- Ability to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting, and working in cramped positions and small openings.
- Ability to climb stairs and ladders regularly throughout the day.
- Ability to lift lightweight supplies or materials (up to 25 lb unassisted).
- Available to work extended hours and weekends when commissioning or production needs it.
- Work performed around fumes, odors, flashing lights, heat, cold, and noise.
- Ability to travel to other SpaceX or third-party facilities (up to 25%).

## ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR [here](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.

## About SpaceX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft while building a global satellite broadband network and AI infrastructure to enable interplanetary life.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: SPCX) – IPO priced at $135/share on June 12, 2026
- **Headquarters**: Starbase, Texas (primary); Hawthorne, California (historical headquarters)
- **Founded**: 2002
- **Founders**: Elon Musk

## Core Business
- **Industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Spaceflight, Satellite Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target Customers**: Government (NASA, U.S. Armed Forces, international agencies), Commercial satellite operators, Broadband consumers (Starlink), Defense/intelligence (Starshield)
- **Mission**: To make humanity multiplanetary by building the integrated hardware and software infrastructure of the future across space, connectivity, and AI.

## Products & Services
- **Falcon 9**: Reusable two-stage rocket – the world’s most launched orbital rocket, with over 630 successful first-stage reflights.
- **Falcon Heavy**: Heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 cores; capable of lifting nearly 64 metric tons to orbit.
- **Starship**: Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle and spacecraft (largest ever built) designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
- **Dragon 2**: Crew and cargo spacecraft used for NASA Commercial Crew and private missions to the ISS and beyond.
- **Starlink**: Low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to over 10.3 million people globally.
- **Starshield**: Military-grade satellite services for national security and defense customers.
- **SpaceXAI**: Division focused on AI compute infrastructure, frontier models, and real-time data processing (including AI compute satellites).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Conflicting reports – Internal share offer in 2025 valued SpaceX at **$800 billion**; IPO pricing (June 2026) implied a market capitalization of approximately **$75 billion** for the shares offered.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of **$15.0 billion** (2025); total funding raised **$15.2 billion** across 56 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google (led $1B Series G), Intesa Sanpaolo, NASA, U.S. Space Force, and numerous institutional investors.
- **Growth Signals**: Employee headcount of **11,387** (monthly growth +2.5%); **1,671 active job postings**; Falcon 9 launch cadence of 1–3 per week; Starlink subscriber base covering ~10.3 million people; recent acquisition of xAI (February 2026).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full reusability**: Only company with a fleet of reusable orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), dramatically lowering per-launch cost.
- **Vertical integration**: Designs, manufactures, and operates its own rockets, spacecraft, satellite constellation, and AI platform – enabling rapid iteration and cost control.
- **Scale and reliability**: More orbital launches per year than any other provider (public or private); proven track record with NASA and DoD.
- **First-mover in commercial spaceflight**: Established crew transport, satellite internet, and now AI compute in orbit.

## Strategic Focus
- **Starship development**: Complete testing and operational deployment of the fully reusable Starship system for lunar (Artemis) and Mars missions.
- **Starlink expansion**: Grow subscriber base, launch V3 satellites, and extend mobile and direct-to-cell services.
- **AI integration**: Leverage SpaceXAI for on-orbit compute and real-time data analytics; build AI compute satellites.
- **Interplanetary infrastructure**: Develop technologies for sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Employees directly contribute to making life multiplanetary – “hard work and innovative solutions result in big gains.”
- **Impactful projects**: Work on reusable rockets, crewed spacecraft, global broadband, and AI systems that are actively changing the space industry.
- **Compensation**: Competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and equity packages.
- **Work locations**: Primary campuses in Hawthorne, CA and Starbase, TX (with additional sites in Cape Canaveral, FL and Vandenberg, CA). Roles span engineering, software, manufacturing, and support.
- **Engineering culture**: Merit-based, fast-paced, with high ownership; top talent sourced from Tesla, Boeing, NASA JPL, and other aerospace leaders.
- **Open roles**: Over 1,600 active positions across software, AI, avionics, propulsion, supply chain, and more – including internships.

## Sources
1. [SpaceX Careers Page](https://www.spacex.com/careers)
2. [LinkedIn – SpaceX Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacex)
3. [SpaceX IPO Factsheet (PDF)](https://content.spacex.com/cms-assets/FINAL_Documents%20and%20Updates/SpaceX%20IPO_Factsheet.pdf)
4. [SpaceX IPO Pricing Press Release](https://ir.spacex.com/updates/releases-details/2026/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Corp--Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx)
5. [SpaceX Jobs Board (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacex)

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