Meteorologist (Launch Operations)

SpaceX•Brownsville, TX

About The Position

The Meteorologist (Launch Operations) serves as Launch Weather Officer for orbital launch, return-to-launch-site, re-entry, recovery, and test operations. The role owns weather workflows from forecasts, balloon and sensor data through countdown, launch commit criteria, contingency response, and post-flight data review. The Meteorologist develops forecast and decision-support tools, evaluates numerical weather prediction guidance, and communicates weather impacts to launch and flight control, pad operations, recovery teams, leadership, and external stakeholders. The position also supports Dragon undock, re-entry, splashdown, and marine recovery and vessel operations across the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific. This role leads or contributes to projects involving weather-sensor architecture, numerical weather prediction tools, launch commit criteria, and marine and recovery weather. It works closely with SpaceX teams and external partners to provide reliable launch-weather support and help improve launch availability and support Starship launch-rate growth. Travel and operations at multiple launch, test, and development sites are required as missions and projects dictate.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in meteorology, atmospheric science, or another natural science discipline.
At least 3 years of professional experience in operational forecasting, launch/range weather, numerical weather prediction, or weather decision support.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral.
Ability to work at elevated heights and/or in tight spaces as needed for sensor or balloon operations.
Willingness to travel, including extended periods at Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, Starbase, and other sites.
Availability to work extended hours, nights, weekends, and holidays when required by mission milestones.
Must meet ITAR eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, qualifying refugee or asylee, or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.
Strong communication, emotional intelligence, and patience when negotiating difficult outcomes with partners under schedule pressure.
Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, with comfort changing roles rapidly in a high-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience as a Launch Weather Officer, range weather officer, or equivalent in orbital launch, aviation, or marine weather operations.
Experience presenting impact-based decision-support forecasts to executive leadership and/or operational decision-makers.
Demonstrated experience communicating high-risk weather impacts on operations to executive leadership and key decision-makers, including hurricanes, severe weather, launch forecasting, and flooding.
Training and experience leading to qualification as a forecaster by the National Weather Service or a U.S. or NATO military authority.
Familiarity with NASA Lightning Launch Commit Criteria (NASA-STD-4010) and 14 CFR Part 450 weather constraints.
Experience with weather sensors, including mesonets, electric-field mills, radar, and weather balloons, from requirements through procurement, installation, calibration, and operational use.
Experience conducting model and forecast verification and familiarity with probabilistic modeling techniques.
Familiarity with Linux, Python, JavaScript, InfluxDB, Grafana, or similar tools, and ability to integrate gridded model data into weather communication tools.
AI-assisted programming or scripting related to weather-sensor integration and automation.
Marine forecasting experience, including routing or recovery decision support.
Background coordinating multi-vehicle or multi-site operations, such as orbital launch, return-to-launch-site, droneship or marine recovery, crew/cargo re-entry, or test flights, in a high-tempo environment.
Experience writing procedures, training materials, and briefings for operators and external stakeholders; comfort owning documentation and process reliability.
Experience building training or qualification programs for operations personnel.

Responsibilities

Serve as Launch Weather Officer for orbital launch, return-to-launch-site, re-entry, recovery, and test operations, managing weather workflows through forecasting, countdown, launch commit criteria, contingency response, and post-flight review.
Develop decision-support forecast tools, integrate probabilistic forecast information into operator tools, and train forecast users.
Improve launch availability through weather tools, launch commit criteria, and coordination with SpaceX launch operations and external weather stakeholders.
Lead projects involving weather-sensor architecture, numerical weather prediction tools, launch commit criteria, NASA Lightning Launch Commit Criteria, and marine and recovery weather.
Generate rocket launch, landing, and recovery forecasts that account for 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 against measured conditions and communicate results to launch and 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 weather sensor data and gridded model data into automation, dashboards, and decision-support tools.
Collaborate with peers, operators, Range, Recovery, Flight Safety, and external stakeholders on reliable launch-weather support and 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 hazards, and heat risks.
Represent SpaceX with NASA, United States Space Force range weather organizations, the National Weather Service, and other core partners.
Interface with the NASA Lightning Advisory Panel, FAA Common Standards Working Group, and university research-to-operations groups to improve launch and re-entry vehicle weather constraints.
Travel to and operate from Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, Starbase, Hawthorne, and other launch, test, and development sites as missions and projects require.
Develop and maintain training, qualification, and onboarding programs for Launch Weather Officers and meteorology support, including off-nominal, severe-weather, and hurricane operations.