Relativity Space

Senior Propulsion Engineer Interview Experience - Long Beach, California

March 1, 2024

Neutral ExperienceNo Offer

Process

Was contacted by the hiring manager. Had two phone screens. One on-site interview included a presentation to the panel and subsequent one-on-one interviews. Questions asked were about examples and concepts, some of which are less common.

They stopped 3D printing the tanks and pivoted from their differentiator. Their goal is to be a second SpaceX, which is an okay goal, but a far cry from the original goal of advancing 3D printing technology. They have an impressively large, but empty, facility. They are good at marketing, evidenced by how much they have raised from investors and their purchases of equipment and workforce. They are doing technical work, but I have doubts about their finances since they are burning through cash. Their pay is average.

Questions

Technical questions on thought experiments and past experience.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Relativity Space Senior Propulsion Engineer role in Long Beach, California.

Success Rate

0%

Pass Rate

Relativity Space's interview process for their Senior Propulsion Engineer roles in Long Beach, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive0%

Neutral100%

Negative0%

Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Relativity Space's Senior Propulsion Engineer interview process in Long Beach, California.

Relativity Space Work Experiences

Ownership, Responsibility, and Growth Opportunities at Stennis Test Site

Propulsion Test Engineer • Current Employee

Stennis Space Center, MS

December 1, 2023

Pros: - Extreme ownership of critical projects - High rate of growth and learning, especially for entry-level engineers - Supportive and smart coworkers, and high-quality experienced mentors - Active efforts by site leadership to prevent burnout, where expectations are kept reasonable and they do not push people beyond their limits

Cons: - Schedules and work hours can be subject to hardware availability and milestone deadlines.

Ownership, Responsibility, and Growth Opportunities at Stennis Test Site

Propulsion Test Engineer • Current Employee

Stennis Space Center, MS

December 1, 2023

Pros: - Extreme ownership of critical projects - High rate of growth and learning, especially for entry-level engineers - Supportive and smart coworkers, and high-quality experienced mentors - Active efforts by site leadership to prevent burnout, where expectations are kept reasonable and they do not push people beyond their limits

Cons: - Schedules and work hours can be subject to hardware availability and milestone deadlines.

Good place to work for experience

Engineer • Current Employee

Pros: This place has very knowledgeable people.

Cons: Right now it feels chaotic.

Good place to work for experience

Engineer • Current Employee

Pros: This place has very knowledgeable people.

Cons: Right now it feels chaotic.

Great learning opportunities but poor work-life balance and upper management steamrolls

Lead Manufacturing Engineer • Current Employee

September 21, 2026

Pros: Lots of great learning opportunities and independence if you get your work done. If you have any ideas, it is very easy to get them approved or implemented because there is lots of room for improvement at a startup. Great relationships with coworkers and fun ERGs. This may be changing, but some upper leadership is still very involved in those ERGs. Also, good snacks, a nice facility, and you get a $10 daily lunch stipend that delivers food to the facility so you do not have to leave or panic about whether or not you have time to eat that day.

Cons: Terrible work-life balance consideration. Everything is about the next urgent delivery, and there is no breathing space between deadlines, and you are shamed for not dedicating your life and free time to this company. There is a big push to be "like SpaceX" yet very little realistic knowledge of how to get to that point and too many people who idolize SpaceX. Original company values were very much the opposite. This is a startup, so everything has a chaotic feel, but at least you used to feel like you had control and influence over the solution. Now you just feel like a cog in a chaotic machine. Lots of turnover starting to happen because of this, and there is no leadership response. Also a bad taste in the mouth due to what happened to former employees' ISOs when there was a reverse stock split that rendered their ISOs worthless.

Great learning opportunities but poor work-life balance and upper management steamrolls

Lead Manufacturing Engineer • Current Employee

September 21, 2026

Pros: Lots of great learning opportunities and independence if you get your work done. If you have any ideas, it is very easy to get them approved or implemented because there is lots of room for improvement at a startup. Great relationships with coworkers and fun ERGs. This may be changing, but some upper leadership is still very involved in those ERGs. Also, good snacks, a nice facility, and you get a $10 daily lunch stipend that delivers food to the facility so you do not have to leave or panic about whether or not you have time to eat that day.

Cons: Terrible work-life balance consideration. Everything is about the next urgent delivery, and there is no breathing space between deadlines, and you are shamed for not dedicating your life and free time to this company. There is a big push to be "like SpaceX" yet very little realistic knowledge of how to get to that point and too many people who idolize SpaceX. Original company values were very much the opposite. This is a startup, so everything has a chaotic feel, but at least you used to feel like you had control and influence over the solution. Now you just feel like a cog in a chaotic machine. Lots of turnover starting to happen because of this, and there is no leadership response. Also a bad taste in the mouth due to what happened to former employees' ISOs when there was a reverse stock split that rendered their ISOs worthless.

Ownership, Responsibility, and Growth Opportunities at Stennis Test Site

Propulsion Test Engineer • Current Employee

Stennis Space Center, MS

December 1, 2023

Pros: - Extreme ownership of critical projects - High rate of growth and learning, especially for entry-level engineers - Supportive and smart coworkers, and high-quality experienced mentors - Active efforts by site leadership to prevent burnout, where expectations are kept reasonable and they do not push people beyond their limits

Cons: - Schedules and work hours can be subject to hardware availability and milestone deadlines.

5.0
Ownership, Responsibility, and Growth Opportunities at Stennis Test Site
Propulsion Test Engineer • Current Employee
Stennis Space Center, MS
December 1, 2023
Pros: - Extreme ownership of critical projects - High rate of growth and learning, especially for entry-level engineers - Supportive and smart coworkers, and high-quality experienced mentors - Active efforts by site leadership to prevent burnout, where expectations are kept reasonable and they do not push people beyond their limits
Cons: - Schedules and work hours can be subject to hardware availability and milestone deadlines.

Good place to work for experience

Engineer • Current Employee

Pros: This place has very knowledgeable people.

Cons: Right now it feels chaotic.

3.0
Good place to work for experience
Engineer • Current Employee
Long Beach, CA
May 11, 2023
Pros: This place has very knowledgeable people.
Cons: Right now it feels chaotic.

Great learning opportunities but poor work-life balance and upper management steamrolls

Lead Manufacturing Engineer • Current Employee

September 21, 2026

Pros: Lots of great learning opportunities and independence if you get your work done. If you have any ideas, it is very easy to get them approved or implemented because there is lots of room for improvement at a startup. Great relationships with coworkers and fun ERGs. This may be changing, but some upper leadership is still very involved in those ERGs. Also, good snacks, a nice facility, and you get a $10 daily lunch stipend that delivers food to the facility so you do not have to leave or panic about whether or not you have time to eat that day.

Cons: Terrible work-life balance consideration. Everything is about the next urgent delivery, and there is no breathing space between deadlines, and you are shamed for not dedicating your life and free time to this company. There is a big push to be "like SpaceX" yet very little realistic knowledge of how to get to that point and too many people who idolize SpaceX. Original company values were very much the opposite. This is a startup, so everything has a chaotic feel, but at least you used to feel like you had control and influence over the solution. Now you just feel like a cog in a chaotic machine. Lots of turnover starting to happen because of this, and there is no leadership response. Also a bad taste in the mouth due to what happened to former employees' ISOs when there was a reverse stock split that rendered their ISOs worthless.

3.0
Great learning opportunities but poor work-life balance and upper management steamrolls
Lead Manufacturing Engineer • Current Employee
Long Beach, CA
September 21, 2026
Pros: Lots of great learning opportunities and independence if you get your work done. If you have any ideas, it is very easy to get them approved or implemented because there is lots of room for improvement at a startup. Great relationships with coworkers and fun ERGs. This may be changing, but some upper leadership is still very involved in those ERGs. Also, good snacks, a nice facility, and you get a $10 daily lunch stipend that delivers food to the facility so you do not have to leave or panic about whether or not you have time to eat that day.
Cons: Terrible work-life balance consideration. Everything is about the next urgent delivery, and there is no breathing space between deadlines, and you are shamed for not dedicating your life and free time to this company. There is a big push to be "like SpaceX" yet very little realistic knowledge of how to get to that point and too many people who idolize SpaceX. Original company values were very much the opposite. This is a startup, so everything has a chaotic feel, but at least you used to feel like you had control and influence over the solution. Now you just feel like a cog in a chaotic machine. Lots of turnover starting to happen because of this, and there is no leadership response. Also a bad taste in the mouth due to what happened to former employees' ISOs when there was a reverse stock split that rendered their ISOs worthless.

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