Intern in the Mission Operations Department - Python Tools for Earth Explorer Flight Operations

Our team and mission

​​In this internship, you will become part of the Flight Control Teams responsible for flight operations of the FLEX, Biomass, EarthCARE, Swarm, and CryoSat missions at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. These missions are part of the Earth Explorer family, focused on advancing Earth science through observation of Earth’s key systems. 

​The Flight Control Team is responsible for conducting day-to-day operations of these missions, working closely across ground segment and science interfaces to ensure that the missions deliver high-quality data to the scientific community. During the routine operations phase of the missions, the team develops and relies on a set of tools and processes that make operations safer, faster and more efficient, balancing reliability and innovation, while maintaining robust space and ground segment operations. 

​As the intern in our team, you will join an international, collaborative and supportive environment. You will gain direct exposure to real spacecraft operations and experience how software, automation, and operational processes are used in a unique control centre environment. ​ 

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

​​You will design and implement Python scripts, tools and frameworks that support routine spacecraft operations and automate recurring tasks. Your tools will be used by the Flight Control Team in a live mission environment and will contribute directly to safer and more efficient operations. 

​The exact scope of the activities will be decided together with you, depending on your profile, interests, and the mission needs. Possible tasks include both development of new tools, as well as adaptation of existing tools to make them generic and improve harmonisation across the different missions. Example use cases include automating daily checks of spacecraft state, the generation of reports, and creating dashboards, as well as tools for modelling expected spacecraft states. 

These activities will include extracting relevant data from ESOC internal interfaces, processing and validating it, and presenting the results clearly to operators. The resulting tools should be packaged in a reusable Python library with helpful documentation and examples. You will also share your results with the team through short demonstrations or training sessions. 

​During your internship, you will learn about the mission control systems, tools, and interfaces used at ESOC. You will gain hands-on experience in how satellite operations are planned and conducted during routine activities, with direct exposure to the Flight Control Team and the control room environment.

Behavioural competencies

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

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course 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.

What you bring: 

• Strong Python skills from a computer science or engineering background, with interest in automation and data processing;
• motivation to write clear, tested and well‑documented code;
• curiosity about space systems and the motivation to support real‑world operations through practical software;
• a collaborative mindset and readiness to iterate based on user feedback.