R&D Engineering Intern Spring 2027

Rocket Lab · Albuquerque, NM

Posted Sep 17, 2026 · intern

Est. total comp~$28/hr

Apply on Rocket Lab's site ↗

From the posting

ABOUT ROCKET LAB

Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.

As a R&D Engineering Intern based at Rocket Lab’s site in Albuquerque, New Mexico, you will have the opportunity to support the team with developing a process that can deposit a phase-change material that can favorably change the temperature of a solar array. The R&D team is responsible for array performance, array survivability, and array manufacturability and are qualifying and always improving the silicon array effort for constellations and other programs.

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO

As an intern, you will work closely with your mentor and other employees within the department to apply your knowledge and grow your skills both technically and professionally

Work with a fast-paced group of professionals to apply engineering and industry concepts to solve real challenges

Attend frequent 1:1’s with mentors and supervisors to facilitate success and learning while providing progress updates

Enjoy tech talks and network with other interns and employees through social and professional events

YOU’LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS …

Excerpt from Rocket Lab's public job board. Read the full posting.

Get ready for this role

Crew department: Surface Ops

Skills this kind of role usually asks for:

Operations planning and scheduling
Field test and integration
Reading drawings and procedures
Safety and hazard analysis
Equipment telemetry and logs

Train for it: the Surface Ops Track: Site Work, Heavy Equipment and Hauling. 5 short modules, a quiz after each one and a final test. Pass it and you get the Mars Mining Certificate in Surface Operations Fundamentals, with its own public page you can link from your resume.

Join the crew and train for this role About Surface Ops

Quick self-check: are you ready for this one?Free, no signup. Your answers stay in this browser tab.

I can do Operations planning and scheduling on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Field test and integration on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Reading drawings and procedures on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Safety and hazard analysis on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Equipment telemetry and logs on the job, or have used it in a class or project I have a project or work sample I could show an interviewer My resume is tailored to this kind of role I've practiced answering interview questions for this kind of job

Free. The department comes from the job title and can be off. A Mars Mining certificate shows you studied and passed our test; it isn't a license or academic credit.

About this listing. Pulled automatically from Rocket Lab's public job board and refreshed daily; closed roles are removed. Mars Mining Co. is not the employer, does not take applications and does not screen candidates. Field and level labels come from the job title and can be wrong.

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R&D Engineering Intern Spring 2027

From the posting

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