A day in this work
You design and test aircraft, rockets, satellites and drones, working with simulations, wind tunnels and strict safety rules.
Ways in
- B.Tech in aerospace or aeronautical engineering (4 years)
- B.Tech at IIST, which feeds into ISRO
- Mechanical or electronics engineering, then an aerospace master's
After Class 10
Science with Maths (PCM)
Entrance exams to know
- JEE Main
- JEE Advanced
- IIST admission (through JEE Advanced)
- GATE
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 4 to 6
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- ₹2 to 8 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- ₹8 to 25 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- ₹6 to 12 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes some of the daily work.
Private space and drone companies are growing fast in India alongside ISRO and HAL.
Try this week
Fold three different paper planes, measure how far each flies five times and work out why the best one wins.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.