💡 Why it matters: Space junk can destroy working satellites that give us phone signals, weather forecasts and GPS. People who can track it and safely remove it help keep space useful for everyone.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs for aerospace engineers are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
A job of the future expected 2030s
Thousands of dead satellites and rocket pieces already circle Earth, and more launches are coming. Companies and agencies are testing ways to catch and remove this junk before it hits working satellites.
This is an informed prediction, not a promise. The skills below are useful whichever way the future goes.
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦4M – ₦9M
- Mid-career
- ₦10M – ₦25M
- Senior
- ₦25M – ₦55M
≈ ₦833k – ₦2.1M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest UK job: 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 Job Bank occupation: Aerospace engineer. Hourly wage low/high x 2,080 hours; Job Bank's median was not captured. 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
- Track pieces of junk with radar and telescopes
- Calculate risks of collisions in orbit
- Plan missions that grab and de-orbit dead satellites
- Work with robotic arms, nets or magnets designed for capture
- Help write safety rules for cleaner space use
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Maths and physics
- Problem solving
- Programming
- Planning
- Teamwork
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Master's degree in space systems or orbital mechanics abroad
- Start in satellite operations and move into safety and orbit planning
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Degree apprenticeship in aerospace or systems engineering
- Start as an engineering technician or in satellite operations and move into orbit safety
🇺🇸 United States
- Co-op or internship programs with aerospace companies
- Start in satellite operations or tracking roles and move into orbit safety
🇨🇦 Canada
- University co-op programs with paid work terms
- College engineering technology diploma, then work in satellite or aerospace operations
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Master Maths and Physics at school
- 2Study aerospace, physics or electrical engineering
- 3Learn orbit calculations and programming
- 4Work in satellite tracking or space operations
- 5Join a mission team that designs and runs debris removal
⏰ A day in the life
You check an alert that a dead rocket stage may pass close to a working satellite. Using orbit software you calculate the risk, then work with the satellite team on a small safety move. Afterwards you test a capture design on a computer model.