Starbase
Starship is developed, built, tested and launched here. The Starfactory is sized to build up to 1,000 Starships a year82. The Gigabay integration building is going up next to it92.
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Mission 11 · SpaceX
SpaceX: 14 Starship flights, one AI and 3,016 job openings
SpaceX builds rockets, spacecraft and internet from space. Since 2026 the Grok AI belongs to it as well80. On 28 September 2026, Starship reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight78. Together with SpaceXAI and Cursor, SpaceX advertises 3,016 positions, 546 of them in software47,48,49.
As of 28 Sep 2026Starship in orbitUSA · Dublin · London
Free, no sign-up, every figure with a source.
SpaceX in 6 figures
Starship test flights14
From the first launch on 20 Apr 2023 to the first orbital flight on 28 Sep 202681,78.
Metres tall124
That is Starship with its booster. The south tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is 136.4 metres82,83.
Completed missions725
Missions SpaceX lists as completed, from Falcon to Starship, as of 28 Sep 202684.
Countries with Starlink160+
Starlink delivers internet from space to more than 160 countries and territories, Austria included85.
Engines in the booster33
33 Raptor engines power the first stage, 6 more sit in the ship82.
01 · History
From a warehouse to a spaceport: 24 years of SpaceX
Elon Musk founded SpaceX on 14 March 2002 in El Segundo, California86. Today the company is headquartered at Starbase, Texas82. The timeline shows the key steps.
- 2002
Founded in a warehouse
Started in El Segundo near Los Angeles, later moved to Hawthorne86.
- 28 Sep 2008
Falcon 1 reaches orbit
The first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to do so, on its 4th attempt86.
- 2010 – 2012
Falcon 9 and Dragon
Falcon 9 first flies on 4 June 2010. On 22 May 2012 Dragon berths at the International Space Station86.
- 2015 – 2018
Rockets land and fly again
A first stage lands in December 2015; from March 2017 used stages fly again86. Falcon 9 thus became the world's first orbital-class reusable rocket87.
- 2019 – 2020
Starlink and the first astronauts
The first Starlink satellites launch in 201986. In 2020 Dragon becomes the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station88.
- 2023 – 2024
Starship flies, the tower catches
First test flight on 20 April 2023. On 13 October 2024 the launch tower catches the booster for the first time89,90.
- 2026
AI, stock market and orbit
On 2 February 2026 SpaceX acquires the AI company xAI79. Since 12 June 2026 SpaceX shares trade on Nasdaq91,86. On 28 September 2026 Starship orbits the Earth78.
02 · Sites
12 sites where SpaceX is hiring right now
The number shows job ads per site from SpaceX, SpaceXAI and Cursor, counted on 28 Sep 2026. Ads for several sites count at each site47,48,49.
Hawthorne
The former headquarters. Teams for flight software, launch software and simulation are hiring86,93.
691 job ads
Bastrop
Starlink manufacturing: jobs in factory software, embedded software and data93. The Gigasat Factory for AI satellites is being built here too94.
537 job ads
Redmond
Starlink satellites: flight software, antennas and satellite attitude control93.
367 job ads
Palo Alto
Software and AI, including for SpaceXAI and Starlink93.
179 job ads
Cape Canaveral
Launch pads for Falcon and Dragon, including Pad 39A, once home to Apollo and the Space Shuttle84.
110 job ads
Memphis
Home of Colossus, the SpaceXAI supercomputer with 200,000 graphics processors95. Another 105 ads are for Southaven, Mississippi47,48,49.
187 job ads
McGregor
The rocket engine test site86.
75 job ads
Vandenberg
West Coast launch site: rockets fly from here into polar orbits84.
27 job ads
Dublin
Starlink sales and the SpaceXAI network, including a software role for network tooling93,96.
5 job ads, none with a US export clause
London
SpaceXAI and Cursor: backend, iPhone and Android apps, security, customer projects47,48,49.
16 job ads, 15 without a US export clause
San Francisco
Cursor, the AI coding tool, has been part of SpaceX since 14 Aug 202697. 53 of Cursor's 128 roles are advertised here49.
53 job ads
03 · Starship
Starship: 124 metres, 39 engines, both stages reusable
Starship has 2 stages. At the bottom sits the Super Heavy booster: 72 metres tall, 33 Raptor engines. On top sits the Starship spacecraft: 52 metres, 6 engines82.
Both stages are meant to return and fly again quickly. The booster is caught by 2 arms on the launch tower. Starship carries more than 100 tonnes to orbit82.
The software angle
An entry-level role in the Starship team asks for autonomous software, simulations for testing and languages such as C++ or Rust50.
All 14 test flights: what each one showed for the first time
Every flight tests something new. Each tile shows the flight's key first, backed by SpaceX's flight report.
- 0120 Apr 2023 · Generation 1
First launch of the full system: Starship climbs to about 39 kilometres above the Gulf of Mexico89.
- 0218 Nov 2023 · Generation 1
First hot-stage separation on a vehicle of this size; all 33 booster engines complete a full-duration burn98.
- 0314 Mar 2024 · Generation 1
The ship completes its first full-duration burn, opens its payload door and makes its first entry from space99.
- 046 Jun 2024 · Generation 1
Both stages make soft splashdowns: the booster in the Gulf, the ship in the Indian Ocean100.
- 0513 Oct 2024 · Generation 1
On the first try, the launch tower catches the returning booster with its 2 arms90.
- 0619 Nov 2024 · Generation 1
First in-space relight of a Raptor engine, followed by a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean101.
- 0716 Jan 2025 · Generation 2
First flight of the redesigned ship; the tower catches the booster for the 2nd time102.
- 086 Mar 2025 · Generation 2
The tower catches the booster for the 3rd time103.
- 0927 May 2025 · Generation 2
For the first time, a previously flown Super Heavy booster flies again104.
- 1026 Aug 2025 · Generation 2
First payload: 8 Starlink simulators deployed, then a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean105.
- 1113 Oct 2025 · Generation 2
Final flight of generation 2: every major objective met, both stages splash down as planned106.
- 1222 May 2026 · Generation 3
First flight of generation 3 with Raptor 3, first launch from Pad 2, 22 satellites and simulators on board107.
- 1324 Jul 2026 · Generation 3
20 third-generation Starlink satellites deployed; the ship splashes down intact108.
- 1428 Sep 2026 · Generation 3
First orbital flight: 26 Starlink satellites, then a return from orbit to the Pacific78.
Flight 14 in fast motion: 9 hours 50 minutes
- 0:00:00Liftoff on 33 engines
- 0:02:22Stage separation
- 0:25:17Orbit insertion burn
- 1:04:3926 satellites deployed
- 8:52:37Deorbit burn
- 9:50:30Splashdown in the Pacific
Software on board: what third-generation Starship measures and controls
Sensors500+
They measure temperature, pressure and acceleration. The flight computers use them to decide whether the flight continues109.
Avionics units60
About 60 custom units distribute power and isolate faults, plus navigation for autonomous flight110.
Cameras50
About 50 views, streamed live over Starlink at 480 megabits per second110.
What comes next, as of 28 September 2026
Flight 15 · planned
Catching the ship for the first time
Planned for no earlier than 19 Oct 2026, with Booster 22 and Ship 42 from Pad 2. The goal: catch the ship at the tower for the first time111. SpaceX has not announced a date yet; Flight 15 is not on its launch list84.
Goal of orbital flights
Back to the pad, refuelling in space
After a mission, Starship is to return to the launch site to be caught. The first propellant transfer in orbit is also planned109.
Florida · planned
Starship launches from Pad 39A too
A following flight is to launch from Kennedy Space Center for the first time81. The Gigabay integration building in Florida is due for completion at the end of 202692.
Moon
Astronauts land, private crews fly around
Starship is to land the first astronauts on the Moon in more than 50 years112. A first private flight is to pass within 200 kilometres of the Moon113.
04 · Artificial intelligence
SpaceXAI: Grok, the Colossus supercomputer and AI in every department
On 2 February 2026 SpaceX acquired the AI company xAI79. Today this part is called SpaceXAI, and its main product is the Grok AI80. The latest version, Grok 4.7, came out on 21 September 2026114.
Grok writes text and code, creates images and videos, and speaks. Developers use it through an API, with sample code in Python and TypeScript114.
What SpaceXAI offers
Grok ChatGrok Build: codingGrok Imagine: images and videoGrok VoiceAPI for developers
New on board: Cursor
The AI coding tool Cursor has been part of SpaceX since 14 Aug 2026 and works within the SpaceXAI team97. Cursor advertises 128 roles, 7 of them in London49.
Chips from Texas
For its own AI chip demand, SpaceX is building the Terafab chip plant with Tesla in Grimes County, Texas115.
AI for rockets too
At Starbase, Hawthorne, McGregor, Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg, SpaceX is hiring "Application Software Engineers, Applied AI": AI software for spaceflight93.
05 · More divisions
7 divisions where SpaceX needs software
The careers page assigns every job to a division: Starlink, Starship, Falcon, Dragon, Starshield, SpaceXAI and Corporate93. Three of them in brief:
Falcon and DragonRockets that land and capsules for astronauts
The first orbital-class reusable rocket.
Rockets that land and capsules for astronauts
The first orbital-class reusable rocket.
Falcon 9 is the world's first orbital-class reusable rocket: its first stage lands after launch and flies again87.
Dragon carries up to 7 people and cargo into space. It was the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station88. Since May 2020, 78 people from 20 countries have flown on Dragon113.
What you take away
A landing is a real-time control problem. That is exactly what the job profile rocket guidance covers.
StarlinkInternet from space in more than 160 countries
The satellites talk to each other by laser.
Internet from space in more than 160 countries
The satellites talk to each other by laser.
Starlink delivers internet through thousands of satellites in low orbit, Austria included85. Since Flight 13, Starship also carries the new third-generation satellites108.
For Starlink, SpaceX is hiring software engineers for laser networks, satellite antennas and factories93.
What you take away
Networks, embedded software and data: topics you know from school and from the job profile flight software.
StarfallA capsule that brings products back from space
Manufacturing in microgravity, return to Earth.
A capsule that brings products back from space
Manufacturing in microgravity, return to Earth.
Starfall is a flat return capsule meant to bring products made in space back to Earth. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed its environmental review for landings in the Pacific116; according to Wikipedia on 15 May 2026, for 2 test flights117.
The first demonstration flight launched on 23 June 2026 on a Falcon 9117. For Starfall, SpaceX is hiring engineers in attitude control and avionics testing, among others93.
06 · Jobs for you
Software at SpaceX: 432 of 546 roles open without a degree
All 3,016 ads from SpaceX, SpaceXAI and Cursor were analysed on 28 Sep 2026, each by its "Basic Qualifications" section47,48,49.
Software ads546
SpaceX 456, SpaceXAI 63, Cursor 27.
No degree required432
359 accept a degree or work experience, 72 name no degree, 1 asks only for a high-school diploma.
Degree required114
Including the "New Graduate" entry roles and Starlink flight software.
Method: classified by text pattern, samples checked by hand. In individual cases the text of the ad applies.
8 examples with title and requirement from the ad
New Graduate Engineer, Software (Starship)
Autonomous software and simulations for Starship. Preferred: C++ or Rust, real-time systems50.
Required: bachelor's, graduating 2027
Job profile: flight softwareFull Stack Engineer, Launch Software
Programs around the launch: from the screen in the control room to the database behind it118.
Required: bachelor's or 2 years of work experience
Job profile: mission operationsApplication Software Engineer, Applied AI
AI applications for manufacturing, testing and launches119,93.
Required: bachelor's or 2 years of work experience
Job profile: AIEmbedded Software Engineer (Starlink)
Hardware-level software in C, C++, Go, Python or Rust, for example for satellite antennas and the laser mesh120,93.
Required: bachelor's plus 1 year, or 3 years of work experience
Job profile: instrumentsFlight Software Engineer (Starlink Mobile)
Software on board the Starlink satellites, in C, C++ or Rust121.
Required: bachelor's
Job profile: flight softwareGNC Engineer (Starfall)
Guidance, navigation and control: the software keeps the return capsule on course, in C++ or Python122.
Required: bachelor's
Job profile: rocket guidanceData Engineer (Starlink)
Prepare and analyse data streams with Python and SQL123,93.
Required: bachelor's; internships count as experience
Job profile: data scienceBackend Engineer – API (SpaceXAI)
Large distributed systems in Rust or C++. In Dublin, SpaceXAI is also hiring for network software124,96.
Required: expert skills, no degree mentioned
Job profile: data scienceYour way to SpaceX: with a degree or with work experience
Technical school (HTL)
Real-time, embedded and networks: exactly the topics in the jobs above.
Degree or practice
Only 114 of 546 software roles strictly require a degree. Often 2 years of work experience are enough instead118,119.
Projects
C++ or Rust plus your own real-time projects: that is what "Preferred skills" says50.
Apply
With a degree as a "New Graduate"50, without one via regular roles once you have the experience118.
Good to know: 2 ways in
US export rules apply to rocket jobs in the US. Applicants must be US citizens or nationals, green card holders, refugees or asylees, or be able to obtain authorisation from the US Department of State50. This rule appears in all 2,599 ads from SpaceX itself47. Of the 23 roles in London and Dublin, only 1 contains it48,49. Europe is therefore the direct route.
Step by step: 3 legal routes to the USA · SpaceX, SpaceXAI and Terafab with application steps
07 · Questions
6 questions about SpaceX, answered briefly
What is Starship?
Starship is the world's most powerful launch system: 124 metres tall, with 33 engines in the booster and 6 in the ship. Both stages are designed to be reusable82.
How many Starship flights have there been?
By 28 September 2026 Starship had flown 14 times. Flight 14 was the first to reach orbit and deployed 26 Starlink satellites81,78.
When does Flight 15 launch?
It is planned for no earlier than 19 October 2026. It is meant to catch the ship at the tower for the first time111. SpaceX has not confirmed the date yet84.
What is Grok and how is it related to SpaceX?
Grok is an AI for text, code, images, video and speech. It comes from xAI, which SpaceX acquired on 2 February 2026. Today this division is called SpaceXAI80,114.
Where does SpaceX work in Europe?
In London and Dublin, SpaceXAI and Cursor advertise 23 roles, for example in network software, backend and apps47,48,49.
Do I need a degree for a software job at SpaceX?
Not always. Of 546 software roles, 114 strictly require a degree47,48,49. The entry-level role in the Starship team is one of them50. "Full Stack Engineer, Launch Software" and "Application Software Engineer, Applied AI" also accept 2 years of work experience instead118,119. The SpaceXAI roles in London and Dublin list expert skills rather than a degree124,96.
163 sources, every figure backed
Every small number links to the source with publisher, date and link. Companies writing about themselves are labelled. As of 28 September 2026.
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