Intern in the LEO and Suborbital Utilisation Team, LEO Services Group

Internship Opportunity in the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes

Our Team and Mission

The Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes (D/HRE) is a Programme Directorate within the ESA matrix structure. Using a partnership between humans and robots, D/HRE is dedicated to exploring destinations in space where humans are already living and working – or will live and work in the future – for the purpose of scientific research, economic development, international cooperation and public inspiration. One of the tasks of the LEO and Suborbital Utilisation Team is the end-to-end implementation of ESA Science Experiments on Sounding rocket missions. Sounding rockets are a unique mission platform for providing truly excellent levels of microgravity, with very low residual acceleration (~10-5 g), for studying phenomena with a longer timescale (typically 6 minutes) than ground or airplane platforms. Physical science and biology experiments can be conducted on board this platform. Sounding rockets constitute a completely independent European access to microgravity conditions and have significantly contributed to microgravity science research, resulting in many publications in scientific journals.

Field(s) of Activity for the Internship

Topic of the Internship: System Engineering for ESA’s Science Experiments on Sounding Rocket Missions As an intern in the Low Earth Orbit and Suborbital Utilisation Team, you will participate in the design and development of scientific payloads to be flown on sounding rocket missions and investigate possible improvements to the sounding rocket system to increase the scientific return of the experiments. By participating in the development of several sounding rocket payloads at different stages of development, you will learn the system engineering tasks related to microgravity payloads development, starting from the requirements definition in collaboration with the science teams, through the design phase in close contact with industry, to the requirement verification in preparation for the Acceptance Review. Being part of the Low Earth Orbit and Suborbital Utilisation Team, you will also have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the integration and implementation process for payloads on the International Space Station.

Behavioural Competencies

• Result Orientation
• Operational Efficiency
• Fostering Cooperation
• Relationship Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Forward Thinking

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at Master’s level and you need to remain enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional Requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset. Knowledge and background in aerospace and system engineering is an asset.

Other Information

ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged. At the Agency, we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int. Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations. Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).