Workforce: the Slowest Constraint to Fix
Does the space industry have the people it needs to build at the planned rate?
Chapter summary
not in the roles that matter most for output.
Key takeaways
- 1
A RAND study published on 31 August 2026 concluded that the United States lacks enough engineers, technicians and assemblers to rebuild military space assets lost in a conflict within 12 to 24 months.
- 2
As reported, it found about 30,000 annual openings for technicians and technologists against about 11,000 people credentialed each year, and about 13,000 credentialed assemblers against 244,000 annual hires across the relevant fields.
- 3
An industry survey found 95% of space companies reporting skills-related recruitment or retention problems, with software and power electronics the hardest roles to fill.
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