Relativity Space jobs in 2026: 280 roles at the 3D-printed rocket company

Relativity Space operates out of the former Boeing C-17 plant in Long Beach — a 1.1 million square foot facility called "The Wormhole" that used to build military transport aircraft. Now it builds rockets, partially with the world's largest metal 3D printers. The company has 280 open positions, a $2.9 billion contract backlog, and a new CEO: former Google chief Eric Schmidt, who invested nearly $800 million and took a controlling stake in March 2025.

Here's what Relativity Space jobs look like right now — the roles, the pay, what the cultural shift means for employees, and whether the Terran R rocket will actually fly.

What Relativity Space builds

Relativity's main product is the Terran R, a medium-to-heavy lift orbital rocket designed to compete directly with SpaceX's Falcon 9. The numbers: 270 feet tall, 23,500 kg payload to LEO in reusable configuration, 33,500 kg expendable. The first stage uses 13 Aeon R engines burning liquid oxygen and methane.

The original vision was a nearly fully 3D-printed rocket. That vision has evolved. Under Schmidt's leadership, Relativity pivoted to hybrid manufacturing: the primary structures (tanks, barrels) are now built from aluminum alloys using friction stir welding — traditional methods, done well. The Aeon R engines remain additively manufactured using powder bed fusion and wire arc processes. It's a practical compromise: faster to market, still innovative on the engines where 3D printing provides the biggest advantage.

Key milestones in 2025:

• All 8 first-stage structural barrels completed
• First flight-ready Aeon R engine completed a 475-second static fire (full mission duration)
• Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral inaugurated in July
• Thrust section completed in October
• SES expanded its multi-launch agreement in November
• First launch targeted for late 2026

The contract backlog ($2.9B+) includes deals with SES, Intelsat, OneWeb (over $1.2B for 20+ launches), NASA, U.S. Space Force, and Impulse Space. This matters for job seekers because it means the company has customers waiting — this isn't a speculative R&D project.

What Relativity is hiring for

From our database, Relativity has 280 active job listings with the vast majority based in Long Beach:

Location	Active Roles
Long Beach, CA	252
Stennis, MS	17
Cape Canaveral, FL	11

The role breakdown spans the full spectrum of rocket development:

Core engineering: Propulsion, avionics, structures, systems, thermal, and reliability engineers. This is where most of the open positions are. If you're a mechanical or aerospace engineer, Relativity is hiring aggressively.

Manufacturing & 3D printing: Additive manufacturing engineers, friction stir welding specialists, quality engineers, manufacturing engineers. The hybrid manufacturing approach means they need both traditional metalworking skills and additive manufacturing expertise.

Software: Backend, embedded, flight software, data engineering, DevOps. Smaller percentage of roles than pure hardware, but still significant.

Test & operations: Propulsion test engineers at Stennis, launch operations at Cape Canaveral, offshore recovery specialists for first-stage landing operations.

Relativity Space salary ranges

The average salary range across all 280 listings is $112,000–$150,000. That's competitive for the LA aerospace market and higher than several competitors. All employees are also eligible for equity compensation — though the equity situation has become complicated after Schmidt's controlling stake acquisition (more on that below).

The Eric Schmidt factor

In March 2025, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt replaced founder Tim Ellis as CEO and invested nearly $800 million, taking a controlling stake. This is the biggest single change in Relativity's history and it affects every employee.

The upside: Financial stability. Before Schmidt's investment, Bloomberg reported in November 2024 that Relativity was facing significant liquidity challenges. The fresh capital resolved that and funded the path to Terran R's first launch. Schmidt also brings government connections and credibility with large institutional customers.

The concern: Employee reviews on Glassdoor describe Schmidt's restructuring as effectively resetting equity vesting for existing employees. Some reviewers characterize it as a de facto buyout that disproportionately affected long-tenure employees. The cultural shift from a founder-led startup to a Schmidt-led operation has generated friction.

Work-life balance reality

Reviews consistently describe 50-70 hour weeks, with regular weekend work on short notice — especially as Terran R approaches its first launch. This tracks with every other launch vehicle startup at a similar stage. SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Blue Origin all demand similar hours during critical development and launch campaigns.

The benefits package partially compensates: 20 days PTO plus 12 company holidays, a $10,000 fertility/adoption stipend, comprehensive health coverage, a $500/year learning stipend, and complimentary lunches with visiting food trucks. The 401(k) match is described as weak in reviews — a common complaint at space startups that lean on equity as the primary incentive beyond base salary.

Interview process

Interviews average about 24 days from application to decision. Difficulty is rated 3.6/5 on Glassdoor — moderate to hard.

The typical process:

1. Recruiter phone screen — straightforward, basic technical and interest questions
2. Technical screen — comprehensive, job-specific depth
3. On-site interviews — typically 4 rounds with engineers, senior leaders, and cross-functional team members
4. May include: coding tests (CoderPad, LeetCode easy-to-medium), presentations, or design challenges

Engineering questions are domain-specific: expect flexure formula and Archimedes principle questions for mechanical roles, design-for-manufacturing discussions, and hands-on problem solving. Software roles get standard coding challenges plus systems design.

How Relativity compares

Company	Active Jobs	Avg Salary	Glassdoor	Stage
Relativity Space	280	$112K–$150K	3.6/5	Pre-launch (Terran R 2026)
SpaceX	1,569	$89K–$114K	3.6/5	Mature, market leader
Rocket Lab	198	$92K–$120K	3.7/5	Operational (Electron), Neutron in dev
Blue Origin	969	$123K–$173K	3.2/5	New Glenn flying, expanding

Relativity pays better than SpaceX and Rocket Lab on average, which reflects the LA market premium and the need to attract talent during a critical development phase. The Glassdoor score matches SpaceX and beats Blue Origin. But Relativity is the only one in this group that hasn't yet reached orbit with its current vehicle — that makes it inherently higher-risk from a career stability perspective.

Should you join Relativity Space?

Yes, if: You want to be part of building a new orbital launch vehicle from near-scratch, you're comfortable with startup intensity and the uncertainty of a pre-launch company, and you either live in or want to move to Long Beach. The $2.9B contract backlog and Schmidt's backing provide more financial stability than most rocket startups at this stage.

Be cautious if: You're equity-motivated. The Schmidt restructuring has introduced uncertainty around existing equity terms, and new equity grants may be valued differently than early-employee packages. Ask detailed questions about equity structure during your offer negotiation.

Skip if: You need a guaranteed stable environment. Relativity has undergone a CEO change, potential equity reset, and manufacturing pivot — all in the past two years. If Terran R's first launch succeeds, the company's trajectory improves dramatically. If it doesn't, the organizational uncertainty gets worse.

Browse all 280 Relativity Space jobs on Zero G Talent. For context on the Boeing Long Beach connection, see our Boeing Long Beach article. For other Long Beach area aerospace employers, browse California space jobs.