Intern in the Future Missions and Architecture Department, Microwave Instrument Section

Internship Opportunity in the Future Missions and Architecture Department, Microwave Instrument Section

Our team and mission

The Microwave Instruments Section is part of the Future Missions and Instruments Division, Future Missions and Architecture Department, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes. Within the Division, the Section is responsible for the definition, engineering, technology breadboarding and pre-development of active and passive microwave instruments for future Earth Observation research missions, such as Earth Explorers and Missions of Opportunity, and operational missions including Earth Watch, Copernicus, and meteorology missions.

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Analysis of CRISTALair Functional Flight Campaign Data

Due to climate change, we have lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice between 1994 and 2017. It is therefore of the utmost importance to monitor the ice mass change by measuring the ice elevation of glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets and sea ice thickness in polar regions. This challenging task will be achieved by the CRISTAL (Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter) satellite mission, which is currently under development. The main instrument of CRISTAL is a dual-frequency (Ku- and Ka-band) interferometric synthetic-aperture radar altimeter. To retrieve the described environmental parameters from the measured radar data, complicated algorithms are required. Some of these algorithms are yet to be developed and/or validated, with real data from polar regions required in order to do so. A dedicated airborne radar altimeter, called CRISTALair, is therefore under development to support the CRISTAL satellite mission.

In September 2025 a functional flight campaign was performed with CRISTALair. The objective of this campaign is to acquire data over glaciers and sea ice in Iceland and Greenland to test the instrument. You will process the data with the Level-1 processor and analyse the data. The analysis will at least include:

• Check of data for any errors
• Evaluation of point target responses
• Evaluation of the interferometric products
• Analysis if the acquired data meet the requirements
• Comparisons between altimeter and laser scanner data

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

You must be a university student, preferably studying at master’s level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be 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 ESA Member State language is an asset.

During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored.

The following would be considered an asset:

• Knowledge and background in computer programming (e.g. Python, MATLAB)
• Knowledge and background in radar signal processing
• Knowledge and background in radar altimeters

Nationality

Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).