INTERN PROGRAM

SpaceX is currently seeking top talent to join our Intern Program. Our year-round program offers an unparalleled opportunity to play a direct role in transforming space exploration and helping us realize the next evolution of humanity as a multi-planetary species. Opportunities are available across all engineering functions and business operations at SpaceX.

Interns and graduate engineers are integral to the success of the company and tackle some of the hardest challenges on the planet. Join us, and find your place in the SpaceX legacy.

Internships are open to both technical and non-technical candidates currently enrolled at a four-year accredited university. For business operations and software roles, internship candidates may also be enrolled in a graduate program by the start of employment. Engineering and software interns play significant roles in the design, development, testing and manufacturing of spaceflight hardware. Similarly, business operations interns are critical to achieving SpaceX’s core business goals.

Graduate engineer positions are open to engineering graduates who have completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics or math discipline and are enrolled in a graduate program by the start of employment. As a graduate engineer, you will be responsible for both autonomously and collaboratively working on actual space hardware development projects.

In both internship and graduate engineer positions, you will obtain invaluable hands-on experience that you can’t learn in a classroom. The most successful candidates for SpaceX’s Intern Program have a history of significant contributions to hands-on extracurricular projects in addition to a strong academic record. This is not an ordinary “internship” – you will be given as much responsibility as our full-time engineers and will be an integral part of the team.

Interns/Graduate engineers must be available full time for a minimum of 12 weeks. At SpaceX, these opportunities are available year round during the following seasons:

• Spring (Jan – Apr)
• Summer (May – Aug)
• Fall (Sept – Dec)

• Bastrop, TX
• Cape Canaveral, FL
• Hawthorne, CA
• Irvine, CA
• McGregor, TX
• Redmond, WA
• Starbase, TX
• Sunnyvale, CA
• Vandenberg, CA
• Washington, DC

Yes. Our Intern Program demographics are predominantly upperclassman and graduate students. Students enrolled in engineering graduate programs are eligible for graduate engineer positions.

SpaceX recruits at the top universities and colleges across the country. There is no one set of schools that we exclusively recruit from—instead, the most successful candidates for our advanced Intern Program and entry-level fulltime positions have a history of significant contributions to hands-on extracurricular projects in addition to a strong academic record. Many of our technical interns and graduate engineers are involved in student-driven engineering groups in school, focused on designing, building, testing, and/or coding. For interns in non-technical roles, we look for similar hands-on project experience in their respective fields.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

SpaceX is unable to provide employment sponsorship to students on F-1 visa status. Learn more about ITAR here.

There is no minimum GPA requirement; however, we have a preferred cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

In addition to your contact information, we encourage all applicants to include the following on their resume:

• University name, degree and major(s), cumulative GPA, and graduation date
• All prior relevant internships/co-ops or jobs
• Relevant project team involvement and role on the team

Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are unable to personally respond to each applicant to our Intern Program. You will be contacted by a recruiter if you are selected to interview for a position. Please keep in mind that recruiting for each posted internship/graduate engineer position can happen over a six month period so we ask for your patience as we complete the candidate review process.

Yes. With the large volume of applications and limited internship/graduate engineer opportunities available, we highly encourage all those interested to continue to re-apply. To maximize your opportunity and increase visibility, it is strongly recommended that applicants apply for multiple locations and terms.

Candidates selected to interview at SpaceX will undergo a variety of technical phone screens. Depending upon which group you interview with, you may also be required to complete a quiz, project, or programming test. Our best advice is to be prepared to tell us about your greatest technical achievements and the challenges you faced. In addition, how did you specifically innovate and take your project to the next level? Be prepared to discuss in depth your individual contribution to projects. Being familiar with SpaceX’s mission and how it directly relates to your skillset is also important.

Internships and graduate engineer opportunities at SpaceX are paid, and can also be used to satisfy course credit at the discretion of your university. Please note that as an intern/graduate engineer at SpaceX you may work on proprietary, sensitive, and/or ITAR controlled projects; as such, we are unable to allow presentations, papers, or reports on the work you complete at SpaceX. If necessary, however, we will be pleased to confirm the dates of your employment to your university or instructor, and provide a brief overview of the types of experience SpaceX internships and graduate engineer opportunities provide.