How To Become A Rocket Scientist: Know Details Here
Becoming a rocket scientist has always been a fascinating choice for generations. To become a rocket scientist one should pursue a course in the aerospace engineering. If you are also among those who aspire to be a rocket scientist, you will get all the information here.
If you are among those people who get captivated by the design and working of the spacecraft and aircraft, and you also want to contribute to this field? You should become a rocket scientist. The course one should do to become a rocket scientist is the aerospace engineering. This course will train you in the design, development and testing of spacecraft and aircraft.
A rocket scientist is an aerospace engineer who work around the rocket-propelled vehicles like missiles and spacecraft. These engineers design, develop and test these vehicles.
To become a rocket scientist you must have a good understanding of the aerodynamics, structural analysis, propulsion and avionics. This branch of science is known for its precision and complexity.
Aerospace engineering includes two branches of engineering - aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. The aeronautical engineering is the study the aircraft or spacecraft that operate within Earth's atmosphere and the astronautical deals with the one that focuses on the aircrafts that travel above the atmosphere.
- What You Should Do To Become Rocket Scientist
- Eligibility Criteria For Aerospace Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering Best Colleges In India
- Popular Colleges Abroad To Become Rocket Scientist
What You Should Do To Become Rocket Scientist
First of all, like any other industry, this field is not for everyone. Only if you have strong passion for this field, you should think about pursuing a career as rocket scientist. If you are not much interested it can cause you stress as well.
This field needs a strong educational foundation. You should have good scores in high school, college and beyond. At the school level, you should take Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English and communication, Computer science, and Electives.
You cannot do anything in this field only with the theoretical knowledge, you need extensive practical exposure. For gaining practical knowledge, you can do an internship from organisations like DRDO, ISRO, or private aerospace start-ups.
If you get a chance to work with NASA, the annual rocket scientist salary is somewhere between $85,000 to $137,000 including base salary and additional compensation. This high salary also shows the high responsibility these scientists carry and the level of expertise they need.
It is definitely a very respectable job, if you work in an organization like ISRO, you get a decent pay package and a faster career growth. It gives you great learning environment and you get lots of technical knowledge. You are surrounded by intelligent peer group. ISRO tag offers you a good social status.
What you can do at the School level: Those who wants to go ahead in this field need to take subjects Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics in school. They should focus on the problem-solving and calculus. Also, prepare for top engineering entrance exams such as JEE Main/Advanced and other state engineering exams. They should also actively participate in various extracurricular activities that are science based like science fairs, robotics clubs, math olympiads, programming, coding or summer courses in aerodynamics.
Also Read:
- JEE Advanced Marking Scheme 2026: Total Marks, Negative Marks, Section Wise Question Distribution
- How to Crack JEE Advanced 2026 Without Coaching With Self-Study
Eligibility Criteria For Aerospace Engineering
You need to do a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, to become a rocket scientist. Here, are the eligibility criteria one needs to fulfill:
- You can apply after completing class 12
- Minimum percentage can be 50-60%
- Subjects in 12th Class can be Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Few colleges also accept the PCB.
- Often you also need a medical fitness certificate.
- The entrance tests you can appear in - JEE Main, and for some top colleges you need to clear JEE Advanced, there are some national level exams like AME CET or you can also go for colleges' own entrance exams like LPUNEST or others.
The aerospace engineering subjects include foundational topics in physics, mathematics, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, propulsion and structures. Students also study the control systems, flight mechanics, avionics, and materials science. The specialized areas of the aerospace engineering include heat transfer, space mechanics, and aircraft design. The students will also get practical knowledge while working in laboratory and on project work
Aerospace Engineering Best Colleges In India
- IIT Bombay - Indian Institute of Technology
- SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
- Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Bangalore
- Indian Institute for Aeronautical Engineering and Information Technology, Pune
- IIT Kharagpur
- Hyderabad Institute of Technology and Management
Popular Colleges Abroad To Become Rocket Scientist
You can complete your undergraduate courses from the following institutes:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Stanford University
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Purdue University
For graduate programs such as master's degree or PhD, you can pursue courses from the following:
Read more:
- Check the complete procedure to fill JEE Main 2026 Application Form
- JEE Mains Registration 2026 Live: NTA Form Soon at jeemain.nta.nic.in; Notification, Dates, Syllabus