Firefly Aerospace internship in 2026: what to expect and how to get in
Firefly Aerospace runs one of the smaller intern programs in the launch vehicle sector, and that works in your favor. With roughly 20 to 30 interns each summer, you are not anonymous. You are writing flight software, running propulsion tests, or building avionics hardware alongside the same engineers who put Alpha rockets on the pad.
Based in Cedar Park, Texas — about 20 minutes north of downtown Austin — Firefly sits in the middle of one of the fastest-growing tech corridors in the country. The company has around 400 employees, three active vehicle programs, and a lunar lander that reached the Moon's surface. For an internship that pays $22 to $30 per hour, that is a lot of mission exposure.
What Firefly actually builds
Firefly is not a one-vehicle company. Understanding the product portfolio matters because your internship discipline maps directly to one of these programs.
Alpha is the small launch vehicle. It has flown successfully and carries payloads up to 1,170 kg to low Earth orbit. Alpha is the production workhorse — the vehicle most likely to be on the integration floor when you walk through the door.
MLV (Medium Launch Vehicle) is Firefly's next step. It is being co-developed with Northrop Grumman and targets the medium-lift market, competing with Rocket Lab's Neutron and potentially filling part of the gap left by ULA's Atlas V retirement. MLV is still in development, which means interns assigned here are doing first-principles design work, not maintenance engineering.
Blue Ghost is the lunar lander. Firefly's first Blue Ghost mission delivered payloads to the Moon under NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program. A second mission is in the pipeline for 2026. If you end up on the Blue Ghost team, you are working on spacecraft that actually land on another world.
Internship disciplines and what the work looks like
Firefly hires interns across engineering and operations. The exact openings shift year to year depending on program needs, but these are the core tracks:
| Discipline | Typical work | Skills they look for |
|---|---|---|
| Propulsion | Test stand data analysis, injector design, turbopump modeling | Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, MATLAB/Python |
| Structures | FEA analysis, composite layup review, load path optimization | SolidWorks, ANSYS, materials science |
| Avionics | PCB layout review, harness design, sensor integration | Circuit design, embedded systems, EAGLE/Altium |
| Software | Flight software modules, ground system tools, data pipelines | C/C++, Python, Linux, Git |
| GN&C | Trajectory simulation, attitude control modeling, Monte Carlo analysis | MATLAB/Simulink, orbital mechanics, control theory |
| Operations | Launch campaign support, integration procedures, test operations | Technical writing, attention to detail, hands-on comfort |
Firefly's small size means intern projects often ship. One former intern's thermal analysis tool was used on an actual Alpha flight campaign. At larger companies, intern work can sit in a repo untouched for years.
The startup culture is real. Expect to see the CEO in the hallway. Expect to be in meetings where actual design decisions get made. Also expect that "12-week internship" sometimes means long days when a launch campaign is underway.
Pay, benefits, and the Austin factor
Firefly interns earn between $22 and $30 per hour, depending on education level and discipline. MS students and those with prior internship experience tend to land closer to $30. BS juniors typically start near $22 to $25.
No housing stipend has been reported in recent cycles, which matters because Cedar Park and Austin rents are not cheap. A shared apartment near the office runs $800 to $1,200 per month for a room. Some interns group up and split a house, which is the smarter play financially.
The Austin metro is a draw in its own right. After work, you have live music, great food, Barton Springs, and a tech scene full of networking events. Several former Firefly interns have said the social side of an Austin-based internship was a major selling point.
| Cost factor | Estimate (2026) |
|---|---|
| Gross pay (12 weeks, 40 hrs) | $10,560 – $14,400 |
| Shared housing (3 months) | $2,400 – $3,600 |
| Food, transport, misc. | $1,800 – $2,400 |
| Net take-home after expenses | ~$4,000 – $8,000 |
How to apply
Applications typically open in late fall (October through December) for the following summer. The process goes through Firefly's careers page at firefly.com/careers.
Offers start going out in January and February. By March, most slots are filled. If you are waiting until spring to apply, you are probably too late.
The interview process is typically two rounds. First, a phone screen with a recruiter or hiring manager covering your background and interest in aerospace. Second, a technical interview with engineers from the team you would join. For software interns, expect a coding exercise. For propulsion or structures, expect to walk through a past project in detail.
What actually gets you an interview:
- Relevant project work — senior design projects, rocketry clubs (SEDS, university rocket teams), or personal builds
- Specific Firefly knowledge — mentioning Alpha's flight history, MLV's development status, or Blue Ghost's CLPS contract shows you have done your homework
- Hands-on fabrication experience — Firefly builds hardware. If you have machined parts, soldered boards, or worked in a cleanroom, say so
- Python or MATLAB proficiency — almost every engineering discipline at Firefly uses one or both daily
Firefly vs. Rocket Lab vs. Relativity: small launch internships compared
If you are drawn to small launch companies, Firefly is not your only option. Here is how the three main programs compare:
| Factor | Firefly Aerospace | Rocket Lab | Relativity Space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Cedar Park, TX | Long Beach, CA / Auckland, NZ | Long Beach, CA |
| Intern cohort size | ~20–30 | ~30–50 | ~20–40 |
| Hourly pay | $22–$30 | $25–$38 | $28–$40 |
| Vehicle status | Alpha (operational), MLV (dev) | Electron (operational), Neutron (dev) | Terran R (development) |
| Unique angle | Lunar lander (Blue Ghost) | Highest-cadence small launcher | 3D-printed rockets, Stargate factory |
| Culture | Startup, fast-moving | Startup with public-company structure | Deep tech, AI-heavy manufacturing |
Rocket Lab pays more but Long Beach rent eats into the difference. Relativity offers the highest pay but is also pre-revenue on Terran R, so the program's focus is more R&D than production. Firefly's advantage is breadth — you could be touching launch vehicles, medium-lift development, or a lunar lander, sometimes in the same week.
Firefly works on some defense-adjacent contracts. While most intern roles do not require a clearance, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is typically required due to ITAR regulations. International students should verify eligibility before applying.
Recent milestones that shape the 2026 internship
Firefly's trajectory matters for interns because a company's momentum determines what projects are active.
Alpha has completed multiple successful flights and is transitioning from proving the vehicle to scaling production cadence. Interns on Alpha are working on manufacturing improvements, reliability analysis, and flight operations — not paper studies.
Blue Ghost's lunar landing was a milestone that put Firefly on the map for planetary missions. A second Blue Ghost mission is in preparation, and interns could contribute to payload integration, thermal modeling for the lunar surface environment, or ground system testing.
MLV is entering a critical design phase with Northrop Grumman. This is where the most greenfield engineering work is happening. Structures, propulsion, and GN&C interns assigned to MLV will be doing early-stage design trades that influence the final vehicle.
The best internship is at the company where your work actually touches hardware that flies. Firefly's size makes that likely. SpaceX's scale makes it a coin flip.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need aerospace engineering as my major? No. Firefly hires from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and physics. What matters is relevant skills and demonstrated interest in space. A CS major who built a CubeSat flight computer is a stronger candidate than an AE major with no hands-on projects.
Is the internship only in summer? The main program runs 12 weeks in summer (typically late May through mid-August). Firefly occasionally posts co-op or fall/spring intern positions, but these are less structured and depend on team need.
Can the internship lead to a full-time offer? Yes. Firefly has converted interns to full-time hires. The conversion rate is not published, but former interns report that strong performers who express interest are often fast-tracked through the full-time interview process.
What GPA do I need? Firefly does not publish a hard GPA cutoff. A 3.0+ is generally safe, but project experience and technical skills matter more than transcript numbers at a startup. If your GPA is below 3.0 but you led your university's rocket team to a competition win, that story carries weight.
How does Firefly compare to a NASA internship? NASA internships (Pathways program) offer government benefits, broader research exposure, and no ITAR restrictions for citizens. But you will not be building flight hardware on a production line. Firefly offers a more hands-on, industry-paced experience. Many strong candidates apply to both and decide based on which offer arrives.
Start your search
Firefly posts internship openings on their careers page and on Zero G Talent's internship listings. You can also browse aerospace engineering positions and software engineering roles across the space industry. If Firefly's program fills up before you apply, check openings at SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Blue Origin — all run sizable intern programs with overlapping timelines.
