ESA Graduate Trainee in Mechanical Engineering

Our team and mission

The Facilities and Infrastructure Office is in charge of the ESTEC Test Centre, where satellites and other ESA space hardware are tested before being sent into space. The Test Centre is equipped with many world-class test facilities, and is developing new test methods and measuring techniques.

The tasks handled by the Test Centre are:

• Operation, maintenance and updating of the ESTEC Test Centre facilities
• Mechanical and electrical engineering support to projects and ESTEC laboratories
• Study and development of new test methods and test facilities
• Study, development and application of new measurement equipment (e.g. videogrammetry, thermography) and data acquisition systems
• Metrological alignments and dimensional measurements

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

In the Engineering Services Section of the Test Centre of the European Space Agency, several in house developed measurement systems are available for use during environmental testing of Spacecraft. These systems need to get periodically calibrated. This can be done either internally or by external suppliers.

Among the available measurement equipment, the Infrared (IR) camera system is one of the most used since its introduction in 2009 and it plays a key role in the verification of the performance of test articles during their thermal vacuum test campaigns. More and more customers of the Test Centre require quantitative assessment of the temperature, with temperature being well below 0°C (e.g. -100°C to 0°C). The standard calibrations offered by the suppliers of the IR cameras do not cover such a range, therefore the need to develop in-house an innovative state of the art calibration method.

The calibration method is based on a thermal vacuum compatible black body which requires to be in the field of view of the detector under calibration from multiple positions. Being both the IR camera and the black body inside a thermal vacuum chamber, the relative repositioning is rather cumbersome. For this reason, the need to have a moving mechanism able to translate and repoint the detector whilst keeping fixed the distance to the black body has emerged.

The moving mechanism, in short positioning mechanism, needs to be able to operate inside the thermal vacuum chamber, whilst operated from outside the chamber, limiting its complexity by preferring, when possible, mechanically operated parts as opposite to electrically powered actuators. Such system, together with the calibration process represents an important milestone in the exploitation of quantitative and traceable thermography at low temperature in thermal vacuum, an area the Engineering Services Section has been pioneering since years and has taken the lead in the introduction of innovative methods and capabilities for thermal vacuum testing.

In the frame of the traineeship, the EGT will be asked to conceive and design a positioning system, capable to adjust the position of the measurement unit (thermal camera) with respect to the calibration black body. The activity will start with the collection of requirements in terms of fine positioning, span of movement and type of movement required, by liaising with the experts in the field within the Engineering Services Section. After successful design review, the EGT will be asked to arrange the manufacturing. Once completed, the task will continue with the integration of the parts and acceptance testing and verification of the requirements.

During the period at ESTEC, the EGT will have the possibility to support and/or witness measurements campaigns in the laboratories of the Engineering Services Section, or in the Test Centre, in coordination with the supervisor and the colleagues in the section.

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 recently completed or be in the final year of your master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent.

Additional requirements

Specific experience in one or more of the following areas will be considered an asset:

• Experience with 3DEX, Catia V5 or similar 3D mechanical CAD design tools
• Experience with Finite Element analysis
• Experience with hands-on work (e.g. integration of mechanical parts)

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.

Important Information and Disclaimer

Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.

Nationality and Languages

Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia 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).

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.