Space Test Engineer Jobs

Engineers who prove space hardware is ready to fly. Vibration, thermal vacuum, RF and system tests before launch.

Open roles
10
Salary range
£30k – £82k
Hiring companies
6

Space Test Engineers plan and run the tests that qualify spacecraft and their components: environmental tests such as vibration and thermal vacuum, functional and RF testing, and full system tests. The role is often called assembly, integration and test (AIT).

Employers include satellite manufacturers, test facilities and instrument builders. Adverts ask for experience of test campaigns, test procedures, ground support equipment, and the discipline of working in clean rooms.

What the role does

Inside the role of a Space Test Engineer

Work follows the programme: planning and procedure writing between campaigns, and intensive hands-on testing during them.

  1. 01
    Write test plans and procedures.
  2. 02
    Set up and run environmental and functional tests.
  3. 03
    Operate ground support equipment.
  4. 04
    Record results and investigate anomalies.
  5. 05
    Work with design teams to close out issues.
Salary on the board

£30k – £82k

Based on advertised midpoints across the 23 UK listings priced in pounds in the last 12 months. Base salary only.

Salary visibility
19% of listings advertise a salary — up from 0% the year before.
By seniority
£k base
Mid
33
56
6 jobs
Senior
41
80
5 jobs
Skills & tools

What hiring managers ask for

% of 37 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.

Test Automation
27%
Python
24%
CI/CD
16%
Test Planning
16%
RF
16%
Data Acquisition
16%
Mechanical Engineering
14%
Instrumentation
11%
Signal Generators
8%
Data Analysis
8%
Java
8%
Technical Documentation
8%
Career ladder

From Junior to Principal

A typical UK progression for space test engineers. Years are guidance — strong people move faster, and many senior folks sidestep into research, product or management.

  1. Level 1

    AIT Technician / Graduate Test Engineer

    0–2 yrs

    Runs tests and prepares hardware under the direction of senior engineers.

  2. Level 2

    Space Test Engineer

    2–5 yrs

    Owns tests for a sub-system or campaign.

  3. Level 3

    Senior Test Engineer

    5–10 yrs

    Leads test campaigns for complete spacecraft or instruments.

  4. Level 4

    AIT Lead / Test Manager

    10+ yrs

    Plans test strategy and leads the AIT team for a programme.

Pathway

How to become a Space Test Engineer

There's no single route, but most people follow some version of these steps.

  1. 1

    Study engineering or physics

    Electronic, mechanical or aerospace degrees all lead into test.

  2. 2

    Get hands-on experience

    Lab work, placements and practical projects are valued.

  3. 3

    Join an AIT team

    Entry roles at satellite manufacturers and test facilities.

  4. 4

    Run your own campaigns

    Take responsibility for planning and executing tests.

  5. 5

    Lead programme testing

    Own test strategy and lead teams for whole missions.

Live jobs

10 live roles

See all 10 roles →

Filtronic

RF Test Engineer

  • Stockton-on-Tees
  • On-site
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Hands-on RF test development role focused on building and maintaining automated test solutions using LabVIEW and TestStand. You'll work across the full test lifecycle, from requirements and instrumentation selection to validation, while diagnosing technical issues and analysing test data for internal teams and customers. Based in Sedgefield, collaborating closely with Engineering and Production on high-frequency microwave and millimetre wave products.

LabVIEW · TestStand

Clearance required Last week

Airbus Defence and Space · 201–500 people

Systems Test Engineer

  • Stevenage
  • Hybrid
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Designs, builds and deploys complex automated test systems for RF and digital space equipment, writing scalable test automation in Python and Java for instrument control, DUT sequencing and data acquisition. Works in a ~30-person team supporting satellite programmes such as Galileo and OneSat, with a strong focus on test stability, error handling and CI/CD best practice.

MongoDB · Cassandra · CouchBase +1

SC clearance Last week

Airbus Defence and Space · 201–500 people

Systems Test Engineer

  • Portsmouth
  • Hybrid
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Design, build and deploy complex automated test systems for space equipment, writing Python and Java test automation for instrument control, DUT sequencing and data acquisition. Works in a ~30-person team supporting RF and digital testing for satellite programmes, with a strong focus on test stability, CI/CD and architectural documentation.

MongoDB · Cassandra · Couchbase +1

SC clearance Last week

CesiumAstro

Communications Test Engineer I

  • Milton Keynes
  • On-site
  • Junior
  • Permanent

Owns integration and verification of space-communication systems spanning digital and analogue hardware, building and maintaining test setups and software for modem and link validation at baseband and RF level. Involves calibration and metrology analysis, Python-based modular test tooling, and troubleshooting link performance alongside DSP, hardware and software teams.

Git · Linux · Windows +2

15 months ago

Teledyne e2v

Engineer - Verification and Test

  • Chelmsford

Hands-on role spanning clean-room and office work, owning verification and test across Space and Science imaging detector projects. You define test flows, commission OGSE/EGSE/MGSE equipment with scripting and coding, run functional, electrical, mechanical and environmental tests, and train operations staff, working closely with project teams and manufacturing to ECSS standards.

MATLAB · Python · Microsoft Excel +6

5 months ago

Nexithon Ltd

Test Systems Engineer

  • Aylesbury

Hands-on role in a Test Group designing, building and maintaining propellant and pressurant feed systems, Ground Support Equipment and Electrical Ground Support Equipment for chemical rocket engines and thrusters. Involves interpreting test plans, running HAZOPs and risk assessments, supporting propulsion testing, analysing data and presenting results to Engineering and customers. Work spans offices, cleanrooms and test facilities, with occasional late shifts, nights and weekends.

Last week
Safran logo

Safran · 501–1000 people · Late stage

Control Systems Engineer - Test Rigs

  • Wolverhampton
  • On-site
  • Mid-level

Design, develop, commission and support advanced aerospace test rigs, building real-time control solutions and integrating hardware and software across the full lifecycle. Work with LabVIEW, NI platforms, PLCs, Beckhoff, TwinCAT and EtherCAT on hydraulic, electro-mechanical and actuation test equipment, diagnosing faults and improving legacy systems within a multidisciplinary engineering team.

LabVIEW · National Instruments · NI TestStand +5

2 weeks ago
Hiring locations

Where this role is hiring

The locations with the most live listings for this role today.

FAQs

Common questions

  • Assembly, integration and test: putting a spacecraft together and proving it works.

  • Mostly not. Much of the work is in labs and clean rooms, often in shifts during campaigns.

  • Engineers from aerospace, defence, automotive test and electronics manufacturing all make the move.

  • The salary section on this page is drawn from live adverts on the board.

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