Vandenberg is an intern paradise - LAUNCH Intern SpaceX Employee Review

5.0
Jul 22, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I was brought on as an intern to the SpaceX Vandenberg launch site in June of 2016. I am part of a very small electrical team working on the launch pad and I am having a blast. My supervisor is amazing and I am very fortunate to be part of such a small team. I like the Vandenberg site because of its size and family orientated feel. I know everyone on the engineering team here at the pad and I love working with them. My manager is one of the coolest people I have ever met. He is ok with me choosing my hours for the most part as long as things get done on time. I look forward to the rest of my internship here. As for housing, the Vandenberg interns get a great deal. We all get to live in the same house and the rent is very cheap. This makes it really easy to become friends and hang out all the time together. It is a great set up and I would not have it any other way.

Cons

The work schedule can be a little daunting, but it is easy when you have lots of work when you need to get done. The only unfortunate part of my internship so far has been that when I was first brought on, my supervisor was so busy that I did not really have enough tasks to work on throughout the day. After the first two weeks things started to pick up though.

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5.0
Jun 17, 2026
Anonymous employee
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Pros

good place to work and earn money

Cons

Heavy workload and long time work

5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
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Pros

* **Unmatched Mission & Impact:** You are literally working on rockets and spacecraft. The cool factor is 10/10. * **Brilliant Coworkers:** You will be surrounded by some of the smartest, most driven engineers in the world. * **Insane Career Growth:** SpaceX on your resume is a golden ticket. You will learn more here in 3 months than in 3 years at a normal company. * **Hands-on Experience:** They actually trust interns with real, critical hardware. No boring coffee-fetching tasks.

Cons

**Cons:** * **Zero Work-Life Balance:** 70-80 hours a week is the norm, not the exception. Say goodbye to your social life and sleep. * **Extreme Burnout:** The "hustle culture" is toxic. You are expected to treat the company as your entire life. * **Mediocre Pay:** The hourly pay is average, especially when you factor in the insane hours and the high cost of living in LA/Hawthorne. * **Chaotic Management:** Decisions can change overnight based on whatever Elon Musk tweets or feels like doing that morning.

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