The space economy’s stellar growth is outstripping its workforce pipeline, even as advances in AI and automation boost productivity.
Businesses and government agencies are struggling to find the engineers, cleared workers and mid-career managers needed to turn surging investment and demand into spacecraft and services.
Smallsat-related private funding alone reached roughly $11.5 billion in 2025, according to Novaspace, with plenty more likely to come as an estimated 16,900 satellites under 500 kilograms are expected to launch over the coming decade.
Apex, Muon and other satellite makers are frantically ramping up production, as is much of the broader industry, but these ambitions depend on finding enough skilled people to keep pace with the market’s rapid expansion.
“The biggest need is clearable workforce,” said Heather Pringle, CEO of the non-profit Space Foundation. “That’s first and foremost — and that’s the hardest to get.”Engineering positions are also a major vulnerability.
