SpaceX

Launch Intern

June - September 2022 • Cape Canaveral, FL

What I liked

Lots of responsibilities, doing real work that was used in actual builds, fast-paced

What I wish was different

Shorter hours, more structure to work

Advice

Be ready to learn a lot and work on tasks that you have no experience in. Know exactly who you can ask for help from.

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Software Engineering

June - August 2021 • Redmond, WA

What I liked

The work and work culture.

What I wish was different

The overtime hours.

Advice

Be prepared to work a lot and learn a lot quickly.

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Starlink Production Intern

June - September 2021 • Redmond, WA

What I liked

I enjoyed the high level of responsibility, interns aren’t just doing paperwork. Also loved the fast pace and dynamic work environment, every day was different and it was super hands on.

What I wish was different

Not much I can think of.

Advice

Document your projects well and keep your team updated so that when it comes time to leave they don’t waste time repeating your work.

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Supply Chain Intern

May - August 2021 • Redmond, WA

What I liked

This was the most amazing place in the world to work. Everyone is so incredibly motivated and passionate about the mission they are working on.

What I wish was different

There isn't much time outside of work during the week and there can be days where you work a lot of hours, but oftentimes it didn't feel like it because it was always so exciting to be at the office.

Advice

If you have the opportunity, definitely take an internship at SpaceX! Even if it ends up not being the right fit, it will give an incredible experience that will tell you what you like, and don't like, about working in the space industry.

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Design Intern

June - September 2021 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

The company clearly values learning and offers many opportunities to learn about aerospace outside of your direct project

What I wish was different

The culture and work life balance were a little jarring-- people are expected to make sizeable sacrifices in their personal lives in order to get work done on time, without much benefit or appreciation for what they're doing. There's a mindset that everyone should want to work at SpaceX, so SpaceX shouldn't need to work hard to retain their employees.

Advice

Be mindful of what you're getting into before you sign that offer, no matter how shiny or glamorous the company might seem.

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Build Reliability Engineer Intern

May - August 2020 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

Overall, my experience was really great and I got to work on projects very hands-on. I felt like everything I worked on was important and would help benefit the company. I got to take charge of one of my projects, which really helped me showcase my skillsets.

What I wish was different

Unfortunately, due to COVID, I wasn't able to interact with many co-workers at and outside of work. A lot of social events were cancelled and many of my co-workers worked from home. None of this could have been changed due to the pandemic, but was the only big damper during the summer.

Advice

Make sure to let you manager know you want to take on big projects and that you're willing to step up and into roles wherever needed. A lot of my big projects came from filling in gaps I saw, and it ended up being really rewarding.

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Vehicle Engineering Intern

May - August 2020 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

Loved the people there and the location. Great work experience. You work on things that actually matter to the company, and have tangible results. I had good mentoring.

What I wish was different

Work-life balance is very very difficult, and the work environment can be extremely stressful.

Advice

Meet lots of other interns and employees! They are your best resource in your work and also in your work-life balance!

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Avionics Test Engineering Intern

May - August 2020 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

Hands-on experience, great work community, people passionate about their work.

What I wish was different

Would have been better without COVID.

Advice

Work hard, play hard.

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Satellite Development Intern

May - August 2018 • Redmond, WA

What I liked

it was great from a technical perspective

What I wish was different

the hours could be a bit long sometimes, but the work was always fun

Advice

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Computer Science Intern

May - August 2018 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

Working on exciting and valuable projects and meeting new and interesting people.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

Focus on what you can do to make the lives of your employers easier. If you have a question, research it first. If someone does not instantly give you work, seek it yourself. I am so grateful for this experience. I had the best summer of my life. I would not change a thing. I learned so much, and I feel like my work was valuable and very exciting!

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Avionics Mechanical Design Intern

June - September 2018 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

Awesome technical learning experience, very challenging work in an exciting company.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Manufacturing Engineering Intern

June - August 2018 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

The experience was very challenging but taught me a lot about what I need to know about industry and how I can leverage my academics to better prepare me for my career.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more assistance either from the university in terms of paying for housing. It was rather expensive, even with the monthly allotment provided by the company.

Advice

Ask questions about everything early, and write down notes if you can. Asking a question once is expected, asking it twice is a bad sign. Don'e be afraid to ask someone for what you need to complete a task/project, even if they have been at the company 10+ years and are a director/VP, if it's what you need find a way to get it. Find ways to grow and learn things you might not have access to unless you're there, don't focus too much on things you can learn outside of the internship.

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Vehicle Engineering Intern

June - August 2018 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

Super fast paced environment with really cool projects. I learned so much and gained a lot of hands on experience

What I wish was different

Advice

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Satellite Development Intern

June - September 2017 • Redmond, WA

What I liked

Quality but friendly team working on a really cool project

What I wish was different

More money would always be nice

Advice

Ask questions and explore!

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vehicle engineering intern

June - September 2017 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

This internship gave me a lot of responsibility. I learned so much about the company and developed new skills.

What I wish was different

You work a lot of hours.

Advice

Take advantage of connecting with different groups within the company so you can find the right fit.

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Product Design Engineer - Production

March - June 2017 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

The culture of SpaceX is really energized and upbeat, also every decision you make feels like it matters a lot since you are literally putting a rocket into space.

What I wish was different

I spent all day at a computer, it's hard to prototype something so big.

Advice

Study up on your mechanics of materials and be ready to struggle with the learning curve. SpaceX expects you to operate on a full time level off the bat.

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Space Operations Intern

June - September 2017 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

SpaceX gives their interns a lot of responsibility and autonomy. You are really contributing to the company's goals.

What I wish was different

You have to work hard to meet other interns, but it is definitely worth it.

Advice

Your time there is what you make it. SpaceX gets a bad rap for working Its employees to hard, but it's up to you to balance life and work. I was always encouraged to take my time and was never pressured to work more than I needed to.

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Flight Reliability Intern

May - August 2018 • Hawthorne, CA

What I liked

I really enjoyed working at SpaceX! It was fast paced and I was able to work on a lot of exciting projects. All of the individuals are so ambitious and passionate behind the company's goal: to make humans an interplanetary species.

What I wish was different

I wish there would've been more of a work life balance.

Advice

Ask your manager to try out different projects in different groups. It helps you learn more about the company and explore new areas you might not have known a lot about. The worst they can say is no.

1 One person found this helpful