There are certain jobs where everyone assumes the salary must be absolutely enormous. Premier League footballer? Obviously. Formula One driver? No surprise there. Astronaut? You would think anyone prepared to sit on top of a rocket, leave Earth and work hundreds of kilometres above us would be earning a fortune.
The reality is rather different.
If you are wondering how much do astronauts get paid, there is no single worldwide astronaut salary. Pay depends heavily on the space agency, employment grade, experience, country of employment and whether the astronaut is a civilian employee, military officer or commercial spaceflight participant.
For British astronauts, the European Space Agency (ESA) provides one of the clearest examples. Its 2026 salary tables show career astronauts can progress through a salary structure worth tens of thousands of euros per year, with additional benefits and allowances potentially available.
NASA, meanwhile, currently lists $152,258 per year as its published astronaut salary figure, although NASA itself notes that this figure was based on the 2024 pay schedule and was due to be adjusted in subsequent years.
So, no, astronauts generally are not being paid footballer money.
But it is still a very well-paid professional career and the package becomes particularly interesting once you look at what ESA astronauts receive.
How Much Do Astronauts Get Paid? The Quick Answer
Here is the simplest way of looking at it.
| Astronaut Employer/Level | Published Pay |
| ESA New Career Astronaut – A2, Germany | €6,358.49 net per month |
| ESA After Basic Training – A3, Germany | €7,846.35 net per month |
| ESA A4 Level | €9,116.67 net per month |
| NASA Published Astronaut Figure | $152,258 per year |
There is an important catch with this comparison.
ESA’s 2026 figures are net monthly salaries after deductions for internal tax, social security and pension, whereas NASA’s publicly displayed figure is an annual US salary figure. They should therefore not be treated as a straight pound-for-pound comparison.
The ESA figures are especially useful for British readers because the UK remains an ESA Member State and British nationals can be selected for the European astronaut corps.
What Does A British Astronaut Actually Earn?
This is where the answer becomes much more interesting.
A British career astronaut selected through ESA is not simply put on a vague “astronaut salary”. ESA uses professional grades.
Its astronaut position is classified within the A2 to A4 grade band.
The general progression is:
A2 → New career astronaut
A3 → After successful completion of basic astronaut training
A4 → Generally following the astronaut’s first spaceflight
ESA confirms that new astronaut recruits are generally paid at A2 level, move to A3 following successful basic training and can progress to A4, normally after their first spaceflight.
That gives us a much better answer than simply saying astronauts earn “about £100,000”.
ESA Astronaut Salary in 2026
Career ESA astronauts are normally posted to the European Astronaut Centre near Cologne in Germany, so the German figures in ESA’s 2026 salary table are particularly relevant.
| ESA Grade | Net Monthly Salary in Germany | Approx. Net Annual Salary |
| A2 | €6,358.49 | €76,301.88 |
| A3 | €7,846.35 | €94,156.20 |
| A4 | €9,116.67 | €109,400.04 |
These are first-step figures for each grade.
ESA states that its published amounts are net monthly salaries after deductions for internal tax, social security and pension. Additional allowances may also be available depending on an employee’s circumstances.
That last bit is worth remembering.
The headline salary does not necessarily represent the entire employment package.
Why You Shouldn’t Just Look At The UK ESA Salary Column
I have seen salary comparisons make this unnecessarily confusing.
ESA publishes different salary figures depending on the country where an employee works. Its 2026 table does have a United Kingdom column, with first-step salaries of:
- A2 – £5,291.57 net per month
- A3 – £6,530.48 net per month
- A4 – £7,589.46 net per month
However, that does not mean these are automatically the salaries paid to British astronauts.
Why?
Because ESA astronauts are normally based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. The country of employment is therefore more relevant than the astronaut’s nationality when looking at the salary table.
In other words, a bloke from Belfast working as an ESA astronaut in Germany does not simply get the UK salary because he holds a British passport.
Do ESA Astronauts Pay Income Tax?
ESA pay works differently from an ordinary UK salary.
ESA says its salaries are exempt from national income tax in its Member States under the ESA Convention.
The salaries published in its table are already shown after deductions for internal tax, social security and pension.
That means comparing an ESA net salary directly against someone’s £70,000 gross salary in Britain can give a misleading impression.
An employee earning £70,000 from a conventional UK employer still has UK income tax and National Insurance to consider.
ESA’s published figure is presented after the organisation’s applicable deductions.
For salary comparisons, that is quite a significant distinction.
What Other Benefits Can ESA Astronauts Receive?
The basic pay is only one part of the package.
Depending on personal circumstances, ESA staff may qualify for benefits including:
- Family allowances
- Expatriation allowances
- Education support for children
- Relocation assistance
- Removal expenses
- Installation allowances
- Medical cover
- Pension benefits
- Home-leave arrangements
ESA also currently provides 32.5 days of annual leave for eligible staff, plus 12 public holidays. Its retirement scheme can provide a maximum pension entitlement of 70% of final salary after 35 years of service, subject to the relevant conditions.
Suddenly the astronaut package looks rather more substantial than the basic monthly number suggests.
How Much Does UK Astronaut Rosemary Coogan Get Paid?
This is one question where it would be tempting to give a precise number, but doing so would be misleading.
Dr Rosemary Coogan is Britain’s current ESA career astronaut. She was selected in 2022 and completed basic astronaut training in April 2024, becoming certified for spaceflight assignments.
Under ESA’s published astronaut employment structure, successful completion of basic training normally corresponds with progression from A2 to A3.
However, ESA does not publicly publish an individual payslip for Coogan, so it would be wrong to state her personal salary as an exact confirmed figure.
What can be said is that the 2026 first-step A3 salary for ESA staff working in Germany is €7,846.35 net per month.
The UK Space Agency’s 2025–26 annual report says the UK expects Rosemary Coogan to fly by 2030, in line with commitments from ESA’s Director General.
She therefore offers a very useful real-world example of how Britain’s modern astronaut career path actually works.
What About John McFall And Meganne Christian?
Britain has more names in ESA’s current astronaut programme.
John McFall and Meganne Christian were selected as members of ESA’s astronaut reserve, while Rosemary Coogan was selected as a career astronaut.
That distinction matters financially.
A member of the astronaut reserve should not automatically be assumed to receive the same permanent salary package as an ESA career astronaut.
Reserve astronauts can undertake training and may eventually be selected for particular opportunities, but their employment circumstances are not necessarily identical to those of full-time members of the European Astronaut Corps.
How Much Do NASA Astronauts Get Paid?
NASA is the organisation most people think of when the word astronaut comes up.
NASA’s public astronaut FAQ currently gives an annual salary figure of $152,258.
However, there is a bit of important small print.
NASA says the figure reflects its 2024 pay schedules and was an approximation that would be adjusted to account for later salary increases.
For that reason, websites claiming that every NASA astronaut definitely earns exactly $152,258 in 2026 are being a little too confident.
The safer answer is:
NASA’s currently published benchmark is $152,258 per year, but an astronaut’s actual current pay can vary and the published NASA figure itself refers to an earlier pay schedule.
NASA also treats military astronaut candidates differently.
Military personnel selected as astronauts remain on active-duty status and continue receiving military pay, benefits and leave arrangements rather than simply switching to the civilian astronaut salary.
Do Astronauts Get Paid More When They Go Into Space?
This might be the most surprising part.
Becoming an astronaut does not normally work like becoming a professional boxer, where a huge purse suddenly lands in your account for the big event.
Astronauts are professional employees.
Training, supporting missions on Earth, testing equipment, conducting research and eventually flying into space are all parts of the job.
ESA’s own career information makes clear that astronauts spend the majority of their time on Earth, either training or performing operational roles supporting the agency’s work.
The salary structure does, however, recognise career progression.
For ESA astronauts, reaching A4 generally follows a first spaceflight.
So flying can indirectly coincide with a significant increase in salary grade, but that is different from receiving an enormous one-off cheque simply for launching into orbit.
Do Astronauts Get Paid While Training?
Yes.
Astronaut training is the job, not an unpaid audition.
Once someone has actually been selected and employed as a career astronaut, the extensive training programme forms part of their professional duties.
And the training is hardly a couple of afternoons learning which button starts the rocket.
Astronauts may train in areas including:
- Spacecraft systems
- Robotics
- Spacewalking
- Scientific experiments
- Emergency procedures
- Survival
- Medical procedures
- Flight operations
- Communication
- Physical conditioning
Rosemary Coogan’s ESA training included spacecraft systems, flight engineering, robotics, life-support systems, winter survival, hypoxia training, centrifuge exercises and zero-gravity flights.
That rather puts the standard office induction into perspective.
What Do Astronauts Actually Do For Their Salary?
The public mostly sees astronauts when somebody is launching into space.
That creates the impression that their job consists of waiting around for a rocket.
It does not.
A professional astronaut’s career can include years of work on Earth between missions.
Astronauts can be involved in mission preparation, engineering work, scientific research, spacecraft testing, simulations, mission control support, public engagement and helping colleagues who are currently in space.
Once assigned to a mission, training becomes even more specialised.
Depending on the flight, an astronaut may need to prepare for:
- International Space Station operations
- Scientific experiments
- Robotic-arm operations
- Spacewalks
- Emergency scenarios
- Spacecraft docking
- Medical emergencies
- Maintenance work
- Earth observation
- Mission-specific research
It is one of those jobs where the spectacular part is only a small fraction of the actual career.
What Qualifications Do You Need To Become An Astronaut From The UK?
For somebody in Britain, ESA is the obvious career route.
The basic requirements for ESA astronaut selection include citizenship of an eligible ESA Member or Associate Member State and at least a Master’s degree in an appropriate field.
Accepted areas include natural sciences, medicine, engineering, mathematics and computer science.
Candidates also need at least three years of relevant professional experience after graduation, although qualifying PhD experience can count.
Applicants need strong English, excellent communication skills, physical and mental fitness and the ability to cope with irregular hours, travel and long periods away from home.
ESA currently states a maximum application age of 50 so that selected astronauts can potentially complete at least two missions before retirement.
Interestingly, you do not need to have been a military fighter pilot.
That old image of astronauts all being test pilots is well out of date.
Could A British Person Become A NASA Astronaut?
Not simply by being British.
NASA currently requires astronaut applicants to be US citizens.
Its minimum academic requirement is generally a Master’s degree in a qualifying STEM discipline, alongside relevant professional experience or sufficient pilot-in-command experience.
Applicants must also pass NASA’s long-duration flight astronaut physical.
A British person who also meets NASA’s US citizenship requirement could potentially apply, but someone holding only British citizenship would normally look towards ESA instead.
Is Being An Astronaut One Of The Highest-Paid Jobs?
Not really.
This is perhaps the biggest misconception around astronaut salaries.
These are exceptionally difficult jobs requiring advanced education, professional experience, medical fitness, psychological resilience, technical ability and years of specialist training.
Yet plenty of senior professionals in finance, law, medicine, private technology companies and corporate leadership can earn more.
Astronauts are not usually taking the job because it offers the highest possible financial return on their qualifications.
The attraction is obvious enough.
Very few people on Earth get to operate spacecraft, conduct science in microgravity or look down at the planet from orbit.
Some jobs have perks that are difficult to put on a payslip.
Are Private Astronauts Paid More?
This is where the term “astronaut” starts becoming messy.
A private astronaut is not automatically an employee with a standard salary.
Commercial missions can include company employees, professional astronauts, researchers, sponsored participants and wealthy private individuals who have effectively paid for access to a mission.
That means asking “how much does a private astronaut earn?” is rather like asking how much somebody on a private jet earns.
It depends entirely on why they are on board.
Professional commercial crew members could be paid salaries by private employers, but there is no universal private astronaut wage comparable with ESA’s published career grades.
Some people going into space are being paid.
Others may effectively be paying for the privilege themselves.
Why Are Astronaut Salaries Not Higher?
It sounds odd at first.
These are people working in an environment where a fairly small mistake can become extremely serious.
But astronaut salaries make more sense when viewed as specialist public-sector employment rather than celebrity compensation.
NASA and ESA are publicly backed scientific organisations.
Astronauts are highly qualified government or intergovernmental professionals, rather than entertainers being paid according to ticket sales, sponsorship deals or television audiences.
The value of the position also extends beyond cash salary.
Training, pension arrangements, medical coverage, international experience and access to one of the rarest careers on the planet all form part of the overall proposition.
How Competitive Is It To Become An Astronaut?
Extremely.
When ESA ran its 2021–22 recruitment campaign, Rosemary Coogan was ultimately selected after more than 22,500 people applied to join the new astronaut class.
Candidates have to work through an extensive selection process involving cognitive testing, technical testing, psychometric assessment, group exercises, practical tests, medical assessments and multiple interviews.
So although the salary is attractive, there is a rather substantial hurdle between deciding you fancy becoming an astronaut and receiving your first ESA payslip.
Is The Astronaut Salary Worth It?
Financially, there are certainly careers that could pay somebody with comparable scientific, engineering or medical qualifications considerably more.
But judging astronaut employment only by salary rather misses the point.
Think about what the job potentially includes.
You could help develop spacecraft.
You could support international missions.
You could carry out scientific research that cannot be conducted normally on Earth.
And, after years of training, you might actually leave the planet.
There are not many jobs where saying “I’m travelling for work next month” could mean travelling to the International Space Station.
For the right person, that is probably worth rather more than another few thousand pounds on the annual salary.
Final Thoughts
So, how much do astronauts get paid?
For a British reader, the most useful answer comes from ESA rather than the old salary figures often repeated online.
In 2026, the first-step net monthly salary for an A2 ESA employee based in Germany is €6,358.49. After basic astronaut training, the career structure normally moves to A3, where the first-step figure is €7,846.35 per month. A4, which generally follows an astronaut’s first spaceflight, starts at €9,116.67 net per month under the 2026 German salary table.
NASA currently displays an annual astronaut figure of $152,258, although its own page makes clear that figure was calculated using the 2024 pay schedule rather than being a definitive 2026 rate.
The biggest surprise, then, is not that astronauts are badly paid. They are not.
It is that someone can spend years studying science or engineering, survive one of the toughest recruitment processes imaginable, train for emergencies most of us will never experience, climb into a rocket and travel beyond Earth — yet still earn less than plenty of executives sitting safely in an office.
Mind you, the view from their office is considerably better.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Do Astronauts Get Paid A Year?
There is no universal astronaut salary. ESA career astronauts progress through professional grades, while NASA currently publishes an astronaut salary benchmark of $152,258 per year, although that displayed figure is based on an earlier pay schedule.
How Much Do British Astronauts Get Paid?
British career astronauts selected through ESA normally fall within its A2–A4 professional grade structure. For staff based in Germany in 2026, first-step net monthly salaries range from €6,358.49 at A2 to €9,116.67 at A4.
How Much Do Astronauts Get Paid Per Month?
Using ESA’s German 2026 salary scale, a new A2-level career astronaut has a first-step net salary of €6,358.49 per month. An A3 employee receives €7,846.35, while A4 is €9,116.67 at the first step.
Do Astronauts Get Paid Millions?
Ordinary career astronauts generally do not receive million-pound salaries. They are normally salaried professional employees of organisations such as NASA and ESA.
Do Astronauts Get Paid While In Space?
Yes. Professional astronauts remain employees while undertaking missions. Spaceflight is part of their work rather than a separate unpaid activity.
Do Astronauts Get A Bonus For Going Into Space?
There is no universal “space bonus”. Pay arrangements differ by agency. ESA’s career structure does generally allow progression to A4 after a first spaceflight, which can increase an astronaut’s regular salary.
Are Astronaut Salaries Tax-Free?
ESA salaries are exempt from national income tax in ESA Member States under the ESA Convention. ESA’s published salary table shows net amounts after deductions for internal tax, social security and pension.
Who Is The Current British ESA Astronaut?
Dr Rosemary Coogan is the UK’s current ESA career astronaut. She completed basic training in April 2024 and is certified for spaceflight assignments. The UK also has John McFall and Meganne Christian within ESA’s astronaut reserve arrangements.
Can You Become An Astronaut Without Being A Pilot?
Yes. ESA does not require candidates to have a military or professional pilot background. Applicants can come from science, medicine, engineering, mathematics, computer science and other qualifying professional backgrounds.
Is Becoming An Astronaut Worth It For The Money?
Probably not if money is the only objective. Someone capable of becoming an astronaut could potentially earn more in certain private-sector careers. The real appeal lies in the extraordinary work, training, research and possibility of actually travelling into space.
