The SpaceX Intern Program 2026 offers paid internship opportunities for candidates interested in engineering, software, and business operations. If you want hands-on experience with SpaceX, this internship may be worth exploring.
Application Deadline: Not specified
Tell Me About The Award:
The SpaceX Intern Program offers year-round internship and graduate engineer opportunities for students and recent engineering graduates to gain hands-on experience working on space exploration, engineering, software and business operations.
Interns and graduate engineers work on challenging projects and may receive responsibilities similar to those given to full-time engineers.
Opportunities are available across engineering functions and business operations.
Which Fields are Eligible?
Opportunities are available across engineering functions and business operations, including:
- Engineering
- Software
- Business operations
- Spaceflight hardware design and development
- Testing and manufacturing
- Other technical and non-technical roles offered through SpaceX internships
Graduate engineer positions are specifically available to graduates with bachelor’s degrees in:
- Engineering
- Physics
- Mathematics
Type:
Paid internship and graduate engineer programme.
Who Can Apply?
Interns
Internships are open to:
- Students currently enrolled at a four-year accredited university.
- Graduate students may also be eligible for business operations and software internships if enrolled in a graduate programme by the start of employment.
- Students must be available full-time for a minimum of 12 weeks.
Graduate Engineers
Graduate engineer positions are open to:
- Engineering graduates who have completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics or mathematics.
- Applicants who are enrolled in a graduate programme by the start of employment.
- Applicants available full-time for a minimum of 12 weeks.
There is no minimum GPA requirement, although SpaceX states that it prefers a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
The source also states that successful candidates typically have strong academic records and significant hands-on extracurricular project experience.
How Are Applicants Selected?
Candidates selected for interviews undergo a variety of technical phone screens.
Depending on the team, candidates may also be required to complete:
- A quiz
- A project
- A programming test
Applicants should be prepared to discuss their technical achievements, challenges they encountered, individual contributions to projects, and how they innovated or improved their projects.
SpaceX states that recruiters contact applicants if they are selected for an interview. Due to the volume of applications, the company does not personally respond to every applicant.
Which Countries Are Eligible?
The source does not provide a list of eligible countries.
However, because of U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including ITAR, applicants must be:
- A U.S. citizen;
- A lawful permanent resident of the U.S.;
- A protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3); or
- Eligible to obtain the required authorisations from the U.S. Department of State.
SpaceX states that it does not provide employment sponsorship to students on F-1 visas.
Where Will the Award Be Taken?
SpaceX lists the following locations for interns and graduate engineers:
- Bastrop, Texas
- Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Hawthorne, California
- Irvine, California
- McGregor, Texas
- Redmond, Washington
- Starbase, Texas
- Sunnyvale, California
- Vandenberg, California
- Washington, DC
- Bloomfield, Connecticut
- Long Beach, California
- Woodinville, Washington
Site availability varies by season.
How Many Awards?
The source does not specify the number of internship or graduate engineer positions available.
What Is the Benefit of the Award?
Selected interns and graduate engineers receive:
- Paid employment.
- Hands-on experience working on real projects.
- Experience in spaceflight hardware design, development, testing and manufacturing for relevant technical roles.
- Opportunities to work on challenging engineering and business problems.
- Potential course credit, at the discretion of the applicant’s university.
- Experience working alongside SpaceX teams and engineers.
The source notes that interns may work on proprietary, sensitive and/or ITAR-controlled projects.
How Long Will the Award Last?
Interns and graduate engineers must be available full-time for a minimum of 12 weeks.
Opportunities are available year-round during:
- Spring: January–April
- Summer: May–August
- Fall: September–December
The source does not specify a maximum internship duration.
How to Apply:
Applicants should apply online through the SpaceX Intern Program’s internship listings.
Applicants are encouraged to include the following on their resume:
- University name.
- Degree and major(s).
- Cumulative GPA.
- Graduation date.
- Relevant internships, co-ops or jobs.
- Relevant project-team involvement.
- Role on project teams.
SpaceX recommends that interested applicants apply for multiple locations and terms to increase their opportunities.
👉 Visit the official internship page for details
