Emerging Talent - Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering Internship
Location
Long Beach, CA
Wage
$35 – $42/hr
Employment Type
Intern
Apply for This Position
Posted on October 24, 2026
Job Description
Overview
Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure with a focus on low-cost and hardware-rich approaches. The company offers an advanced engineering internship program for students in mechanical or aerospace engineering to contribute to the development of systems for human-rated space stations.
Responsibilities
- Assist in the development of systems for human-rated space stations and space infrastructure.
- Work on projects related to specific engineering disciplines such as ECLSS, propulsion, solar, structures design, and thermal analysis.
Requirements
- Must be enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master’s degree program in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related discipline.
- Ability to work full-time onsite in Long Beach, Hawthorne, or Mojave, CA.
Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental
- Vision
- PTO
- 401k
Additional Information
- This is a 12-week internship.
- Interns will be mentored by industry experts.
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
How this job compares in Long Beach, CA
Pay in context
At roughly $39/hr, this posting comes in about 23% below the $50/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA, where the middle half runs $34–$63/hr across 50 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 32% 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 60 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 23 different employers. 12 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 520 other active welding openings from 246 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 12 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 (36), Relativity Space (21), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (16). 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 Long Beach at $50/hr, Santa Ana at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $43/hr. Long Beach is among them.
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Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Emerging Talent - Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering Internship figures were last recalculated when this page was built.