Meteorologist; Launch Operations

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

METEOROLOGIST (LAUNCH OPERATIONS)

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as Launch Weather Officer (LWO) for orbital launch, return-to-launch-site, re-entry, recovery, and test operations—owning weather workflows from forecast, balloon, and sensor data through countdown, launch commit criteria, contingency response, and post-flight data review
• Develop new decision-support forecast tools, integrate probabilistic forecast information into operator tools, and train operators and end-users of forecasts
• Improve launch availability by developing new weather tools, improving launch commit criteria, and coordination with SpaceX launch operations and the external weather stakeholders that support launch and re-entry operations
• Lead projects on weather-sensor architecture, numerical weather prediction tools, launch commit criteria, including NASA LLCCs, and marine/recovery weather
• Generate rocket launch, landing, and recovery forecasts against vehicle constraints, NASA Lightning Launch Commit Criteria (NASA-STD-4010), and 14 CFR Part 450 weather requirements
• Conduct numerical weather prediction analysis and testing; interpret model guidance (NBM, GFS, RRFS, CMC, ECMWF, Graph Cast, HAFS, and other AI and ensemble variants) against measured conditions and communicate results to launch/flight control, pad operations, recovery, and leadership
• Drive requirements, procurement, calibration, installation, quality control, and operational use of mesonets, electric-field mills, radar, weather balloons, and related instrumentation
• Integrate the weather sensor suite and gridded model data into automation, dashboards, and decision-support tools
• Collaborate closely with peers, operators, Range, Recovery, Flight Safety, and external stakeholders to ensure reliable launch-weather support and drive initiatives that support Starship launch-rate growth
• Support Dragon undock, re-entry, and splashdown weather, and marine forecasts for Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific recovery and vessel operations
• Provide nowcasts and alerts for hazardous weather including severe thunderstorms, lightning, tropical cyclones, flooding, marine, and heat risks
• Represent SpaceX with NASA, United States Space Force range weather organizations, National Weather Service, and other core partners
• Interface with NASA Lightning Advisory Panel, FAA Common Standards Working Group, and other university research to operations groups to drive improvement in LLCC constraints for all launch and re-entry vehicles
• Travel to and operate from Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, Starbase, Hawthorne, and other launch/test/development sites as missions and projects require

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in meteorology, atmospheric science, or other nature science discipline
• 3+ years of professional experience in operational forecasting, launch/range weather, numerical weather prediction, or weather decision support

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience as a Launch Weather Officer, range weather officer, or equivalent for orbital launch, aviation, or marine weather operations
• Experience presenting impact-based decision support forecasting to executive leadership and/or key decision-makers in operations
• Demonstrated experience communicating high-risk weather impacts on operations to executive leadership and key decision-makers; includes hurricanes, severe weather, launch forecasting, flooding, and other Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) functions
• Combination of training and experience that has led to…