satellite engineer
Satellite engineers develop, test and oversee the manufacture of satellite systems and satellite programmes. They may also develop software programs, collect and research data, and test the satellite systems. Satellite engineers can also develop systems to command and control satellites. They monitor satellites for issues and report on the behaviour of the satellite in orbit.
satellite engineer satellite engineers develop, test and oversee the manufacture of satellite systems and satellite programmes. They may also develop software programs, collect and research data, and test the satellite systems. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include production processes, engineering principles, launching of satellites into orbit, manufacturing processes, technical drawings.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £52,518 a year for Electronics engineers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2124). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only satellite engineer, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Frequently asked questions
What does satellite engineer do?
Satellite engineers develop, test and oversee the manufacture of satellite systems and satellite programmes. They may also develop software programs, collect and research data, and test the satellite systems. Satellite engineers can also develop systems to command and control satellites. They monitor satellites for issues and report on the behaviour of the satellite in orbit.
What skills does satellite engineer need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include production processes, engineering principles, launching of satellites into orbit, manufacturing processes, technical drawings, aerospace engineering. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace satellite engineer?
Our AI-durability model gives satellite engineer a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.