Internships

Your hands-on entry point into aerospace

Overview

Aerospace internships are the single most important thing you can do as a student to launch your career. They turn classroom knowledge into real experience, put recognizable names on your resume, and often convert directly to full-time job offers. We mapped over 30 programs across government agencies, prime contractors, defense tech startups, NewSpace companies, eVTOL companies, and university research labs — covering everything from NASA OSTEM to SpaceX to the emerging Seattle space corridor. Whether you're a high school junior or a PhD candidate, there's a path for you.

The Big Picture

30+ Programs profiled Government, primes, startups, research

$14–61/hr Intern pay range Shield AI and Skydio at the top

2,000+ NASA interns per year OSTEM program alone

~5% NASA acceptance rate Apply to 15–20 programs

Go Deeper

Eight guides to finding, applying for, and landing aerospace internships.

Summer 2027 Guide

Projected dates, month-by-month prep timeline, and application strategy for Summer 2027 aerospace internships — start preparing now.

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Summer 2026 Guide

What's still open, what already closed, application strategy, and a month-by-month timeline for Summer 2027.

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Government Programs

NASA OSTEM, Pathways, GL4HS, SEES, AFRL Wright Scholar, AFRL Scholars, and FAA Gateways — every federal aerospace internship.

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Prime Contractors

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, L3Harris, and General Dynamics — internship programs at the Big Six defense companies.

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Startups & NewSpace

SpaceX, Blue Origin, Anduril, Shield AI, Skydio, and the Seattle space corridor (Stoke Space, Gravitics, Starfish Space, Portal Space, Starcloud, and more) — rolling admissions, top pay, and real engineering.

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eVTOL & Emerging Companies

Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, and the emerging electric aviation sector — no ITAR restrictions, open to non-citizens with work authorization.

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Research Programs

NSF REU, university research labs, and the academic path — paid research experiences for undergrads considering graduate school.

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How to Apply

Application timelines, building your list, what hiring managers look for, and the most common mistakes students make.

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Resume & Interviews

The aerospace internship resume, showcasing projects and competitions, technical and behavioral interviews, and follow-up strategy.

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Why This Matters for You

The aerospace industry doesn't hire based on grades alone. It hires based on demonstrated ability to do the work — and internships are how you demonstrate it.

An intern who walks into SpaceX already knowing SolidWorks, Python, and how to machine parts gets assigned to real flight hardware. An intern who walks in with only coursework gets assigned to documentation. The gap in career trajectory between those two paths is enormous.

The catch: the biggest programs close months before most students start looking. Boeing Engineering closes in October. AFRL Wright Scholar closes in January. NASA OSTEM closes in February. If you start searching in March, you've already missed the most competitive programs.

These pages map every major program — what's open, what's closed, when to apply for next year, and how to build the strongest application possible.

Internships by Career Path

Different careers have different internship pipelines — here's where to focus.