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Vast

Orbital Tube Welder

Location

Long Beach, CA

Wage

$24 – $58.2/hr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on September 12, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure with a focus on low-cost approaches. They are seeking an Orbital Tube Welder and Fabrication Technician to support the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

Responsibilities

  • Create and follow procedures to setup and operate the orbital welding system
  • Work from blueprints and approved drawings
  • Provide insight to process improvements alongside engineering
  • Cut and prepare tubing and fittings for welding operations
  • Perform setup and maintenance of the welding system
  • Assist in training other teammates in orbital tube welding
  • Weld on vehicle assembly with final integration teams
  • Assemble and calibrate liquid controllers and systems as required
  • Inspect all completed assemblies using borescope and other inspection tools
  • Proof assemblies per company standards
  • Maintain an adequate supply of spare parts for the welding system
  • Maintain a clean work area, practicing 'clean as you go' and general housekeeping standards
  • Assist in facility needs

Requirements

  • 3+ years of welding, machining or manufacturing experience OR certificate from an accredited trade skills program in A&P, manufacturing, welding, and/or electronics
  • Certification from a formal orbital weld training program (preferred)
  • 3+ years of orbital welding experience (preferred)
  • Clean room experience (preferred)
  • Airframe and powerplant (A&P) license (preferred)
  • TIG welding and clean room experience (preferred)
  • Experience working in an aerospace manufacturing environment (preferred)
  • Strong forklift experience (preferred)
  • Able to lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted
  • Able to stand for extended periods – 8 hours min
  • Able to stoop, bend, crawl, and maneuver in tight spaces
  • Able to work in small teams to ensure production needs are consistently met

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • Full-time, non-exempt position located in Long Beach, California
  • First shift: 5:00am - 2:30pm
  • Second shift: 2:00pm - 10:30pm

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $41/hr, this posting comes in about 24% below the $54/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA, where the middle half runs $34–$69/hr across 49 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 35% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Long Beach, CA

We're tracking 56 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 15 different employers. 34 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 623 other active welding openings from 288 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Long Beach, or widen the search to California.

Vast currently has 21 other openings live in California, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (34), Vast (21), and Relativity Space (20). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Redondo Beach at $71/hr, Long Beach at $54/hr, and Torrance at $43/hr. Long Beach is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds.

Similar openings near Long Beach, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Orbital Tube Welder figures were last recalculated when this page was built.