💡 Why it matters: Satellites connect the world and watch Earth for communication, weather and mapping, and many more small satellites are being planned. This creates real jobs in design, testing and control.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Nigeria has launched its own satellites for communication and Earth observation, and many more small satellites are planned across Africa.
- United States: Jobs for aerospace engineers are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦3M – ₦7M
- Mid-career
- ₦8M – ₦20M
- Senior
- ₦20M – ₦45M
≈ ₦667k – ₦1.7M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest profile: Aerospace engineer. Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Aerospace engineers. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Canadian category: Aerospace Engineer. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Design and test satellite parts and systems
- Make sure electronics survive the heat and cold of space
- Write and test software for satellites
- Track and control satellites from the ground
- Fix problems using data sent back from orbit
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Electronics and physics
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Teamwork
- Programming
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Join the national space research agency as a graduate trainee
- Master's degree in space engineering abroad after a first degree
- Entry is through WAEC or NECO (secondary school exam) results and JAMB (UTME, the national university entrance exam)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Engineering or aerospace degree apprenticeships
- University CubeSat (tiny satellite) projects and space company graduate schemes
🇺🇸 United States
- University CubeSat (tiny satellite) projects and internships at space companies and NASA
- Associate degree in engineering technology, then transfer to a bachelor's
🇨🇦 Canada
- Co-op programs with paid work terms at space and telecom companies
- University CubeSat (tiny satellite) projects
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Love Physics and Maths and try electronics projects
- 2Study electrical, aerospace or space science
- 3Join a university satellite or CubeSat (tiny satellite) project
- 4Intern with a space agency or telecoms company
- 5Specialise in power, communications or control systems
⏰ A day in the life
You check data from a satellite that passed overhead and find that its battery is warming too much. You discuss fixes with colleagues and test a software update on a model in the lab before sending it up.