ESA Graduate Trainee in Advanced Materials and Process Engineering

Our team and mission

The Structures Mechanisms and Materials Division TEC-MS is the Centre of competence of the Agency in all areas related to Spacecraft and Launcher Structures, and Mechanisms, Tribology and Pyrotechnic devices, as well as Materials and Processes. This encompasses spacecraft and launcher lightweight structures, stable structures, advanced mechanical materials applications, structural dynamics, damage tolerance, deployable structures/booms, active structures, hold-down and release devices, electrical motors for space mechanisms, launcher and re-entry vehicle hot- and cold structures, landing attenuation systems, seals, valves, parachute systems, separation systems, solar array drive mechanisms, reaction wheels, pointing mechanisms, pyrotechnics, bearings and tribology aspects. It provides support to projects, preparatory programs and technology programs.

In order to achieve its objectives, the Materials, Manufacturing, and Assembly Section, located at ESTEC (Noordwijk, NL) is also managing the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory at ECSAT (Harwell, UK) whose objective is the performance evaluation and feasibility assessment of emerging manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing and advanced joining techniques and to explore the benefit of utilising additional capabilities available through the Harwell campus.

The work proposed will be carried out at ECSAT in close cooperation with the Materials and Processes Section at ESTEC. The general activities performed within the remit of the Materials and Processes Section, covering also activities at ECSAT include:

• The qualification for space flight of all advanced metallic and non-metallic materials, structural ceramics and glasses as well as all related manufacturing and surface treatment processes for all ESA spacecraft and launchers programme
• The development of revolutionary materials and innovative manufacturing technologies both internally and in cooperation with other space agencies and research organisations
• The failure investigation of materials and processes underperforming and impacting ESA space missions
• The development, certification and support of new European industrial capabilities, manufacturing processes and manpower skills training related to space applications of materials and components
• The establishment and implementation of requirements and standards for the development and the procurement of space grade materials and manufacturing processes
• The development, maintenance and improvement of the European Space Materials Database, storing all relevant data generated for materials and processes intended for Space use

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

The Advanced Manufacturing Cross-Cutting Initiative captures the opportunity of adopting revolutionary manufacturing capabilities, advanced materials and associated processes and creates sustainable competitive advantage for the European Space Industry in the global market. In its latest revision of activities emphasis is given to smart manufacturing, i.e. the use of interconnected digital technologies in industrial production, that enable new and more efficient processes, and which in some cases yield new goods and services.

The current space missions are often limited in their performances and scientific achievements by the traditional manufacturing processes/concepts. Though Advanced Manufacturing technologies are readily available in the current European industrial landscape, these can be adopted for next generation space hardware manufacturing. This will enable new and highly innovative spacecraft and launchers designs, with significantly reduced manufacturing constraints (including costs and lead-time) and tremendous performances improvement.

Complementing this initiative, the following activities are currently targeted through the advanced manufacturing laboratory:

• Identifying, investigating and performing pre-assessment of emerging materials and processes, investigating and use of advanced non-destructive inspection (NDI) techniques in support of, or even replacing, experimental destructive laboratory verification activities.
• Optimizing the performance of metal based additively manufactured parts by investigating the relation between raw material quality and part performance

• performing testing to determine fundamental properties of powders
• providing assistance in the design and production of test coupons
• performing material related tests on 3D-printed test structures (e.g. tensile testing, fatigue testing, defect analysis) and correlating the properties of as-built parts with previously measured powder characteristics

• Investigating the part performance produced by multi-laser additive manufacturing
• Assisting model development for virtual testing and digital twinning, linking process, structure, and performance in generating input parameters for ICME models

You will use facilities available through the ECSAT Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory in close cooperation with ESTEC Materials and Electrical Components Laboratory, in order to characterise all the above advanced materials and manufacturing processes, with particular focus on additive manufacturing.

The final goal is to provide an in-depth understanding of the performances of the identified technologies and provide recommendations for further improvement in view of their space application in highly demanding environments.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains

Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities

General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities

Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’s degree in material science covering metallic, polymeric and/or composite materials.

Additional requirements

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team. Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
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.