Intern in the Independent Safety Office, Space Debris Mitigation

Internship Opportunity in the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Our team and mission

This position is based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) - Noordwijk, Netherlands. The TEC-QI Independent Safety Office is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and maintenance of ESA policies, requirements, standards, and providing functional support to ESA projects in the areas of:

• Human Spaceflight Safety
• Space Debris Mitigation
• Re-entry Safety
• Nuclear Safety for applications in space

The mission of the TEC-QI is to ensure the highest safety standards for ESA missions by enforcing clear safety processes, reducing risks, and protecting space assets, environment, and the general public. TEC-QI aims to make sure all ESA activities are carried out with a strong commitment to safety.

Field(s) of activity for the internship

You can choose between the following topics:

1) Topic 1: Space Debris Mitigation Plans

Space debris is defined as “All non-functional, human-made objects .. in orbit or reentering Earth's atmosphere.” As of today about 10 thousand tonnes of space objects are in orbit and the number is rapidly increasing, so that if current behaviours and trends in orbit continue, crucial orbital regions may become entirely unusable.

In response to this, ESA has decided to introduce the ‘Zero Debris approach’ to significantly limit the production of debris in Earth and Lunar orbits by 2030 for all future missions. As first step in this process, ESA's Space Debris Mitigation Policy and Technical Standards were updated in 2023, introducing stricter mitigation measures and novel analyses to get a more accurate representation of the risk associated to space missions in their different phases.

As an intern, you will support the preparation of example Space Debris Mitigation Plans covering different mission classes (e.g., cubesat, large platforms) and orbital regions. In the preparation of these documents, you will interact with different subject matters and develop a multi-disciplinary, system perspective on how to tackle the space debris issue, together with hands-on experience on the use of ESA’s tools and data resources.

2) Topic 2: Data driven compliance analysis

The Independent Safety Office is involved in the review of the space debris mitigation strategies for all missions at ESA, ranging from small educational cubesats to large interplanetary probes. For each review, we prepare a detailed assessment of the status of compliance and issue recommendations to the projects on how to improve the safety and sustainability of their missions. Every year, we prepare a report on the overall status of compliance.

With the introduction of the ‘Zero Debris Approach’ mentioned above it is time to modernise such compliance analysis, e.g., to effectively inform policy makers on the most critical requirements to be implemented and therefore highlight the need for technology developments. To do so, a data-driven approach is needed, rooted on the extensive dataset of the reviews conducted by our team.

As an intern, you will lead the definition of a computational pipeline able to extract statistics on the level of compliance with space debris mitigation requirements as a function of parameters such as mission design phase, type of mission, orbital region, etc. The computational pipeline shall be based on Python and allow the generation of automated reports using LaTeX. It shall also be coded in a modular way to allow for future extensions. An agile approach will be used for the development of the tool, so that you will get frequent feedback on your developments.

For both topics, you will work in a small team and you will be involved in regular coordination meetings. You will have the opportunity to actively contribute to ongoing projects and present results to the international community.

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational EfficiencyFostering CooperationRelationship ManagementContinuous ImprovementForward 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 on space debris issues is an asset.

For Topic 1:

• Knowledge of space debris tools and database systems is an asset
• Knowledge and background in system engineering is an asset

For Topic 2:

• Knowledge of any among Python, LaTeX, GitLab 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.

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 and Cyprus as European Cooperating States (ECS).