Intern in the Exploration Technologies for Human Spaceflight, LUNA Utilisation

Our team and mission

The Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration (D/HRE) is the main ESA entity in charge of supporting and coordinating efforts towards the current and the future endeavours of human spaceflight. The exploration activities are part of the strategic plans in securing a central role for Europe with respect to the global initiatives. The European Exploration Envelope Programme (E3P) is integrating the ESA activities in this field to ensure a single exploration process. The strategy includes three destinations where humans will work with robots to gather new knowledge: Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the Moon, and Mars.

The “Spaceship EAC” initiative is investigating low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for supporting the future cislunar space mission as well as surface activities on the Moon as part of the Exploration Preparation, Research and Technology (ExPeRT) team. This multidisciplinary, innovation-driven team composed by researchers, graduate and undergraduate students is based at the ESA European Astronaut Centre (EAC). The mission statement of “Spaceship EAC” is centered on three main pillars: enhance, enable and inspire. The founding idea behind this initiative is indeed to enhance the capabilities of EAC via exploiting the spaceflight experience of the centre to develop and validate new operational concepts and valuable technologies in support of lunar human exploration scenarios. A pragmatic and research focused approach is adopted, and knowledge acquired is disseminated within ESA, partners and the relevant scientific community.

Within Spaceship EAC, we have a number of fields where we carry out different projects. These fields are:

• Demonstrating disruptive technologies such as Virtual/Augmented Reality, collaborative robotics and their potential use cases for exploration;
• Investigating novel concepts in the domain of Space Resources/In-Situ Resource Utilisation, to enable sustainable human exploration;
• Using advanced manufacturing methodologies, such as additive manufacturing, for projects within the centre and for space exploration;
• Developing new ideas around medical technologies, for example, using machine learning techniques to support long term exploration;
• Topics related to ‘off world living’, e.g. human factors, design and concept illustration;
• Crew Health and Performance Technologies and Knowledge build up.

Additionally the Spaceship team is involved in supporting the development of our new LUNA facility at EAC. This facility will serve as a central hub for lunar exploration preparations at ESA and DLR. It features a 700 sqm lunar surface testbed, facilitating the development and validation of operational concepts, astronaut training, and technology demonstrations for Moon exploration. Additionally, the facility will showcase elements of an analogue Moon base, such as a habitat/laboratory module, and a regenerative energy system among others.

We are continually looking for innovative applicants with skills or interests in these areas to join the Spaceship EAC team. An outline of some of the projects that we have recently been progressing can be found at the ESA blog.

For more information on Spaceship EAC internships

please look at the Spaceship EAC blog (Spaceship EAC – ESA –Exploration).

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Spaceship EAC/LUNA Utilisation: LUNA facility evolution and utilisation

The team member will support ESA’s effort to evolve and to utilize the LUNA analog facility together with DLR as project partner.

1. Background and Motivation

The LUNA analog facility is the central hub for the preparation, validation and training for lunar surface activities and technologies. While focusing on operational concepts and mission simulations, it also allows for substantial technology testing, scientific investigations, optimisation of operational protocols and procedures, and much more.

The LUNA facility has been inaugurated in September 2024 and is being used for various research and simulation activities of ESA, DLR and external partners. Those include suited activities with suit simulators and dedicated EVA tools, as well as robotic activities concerning mobility, imaging, localisation and communications. At the same time that utilisation is ramping up, the facility is still being evolved with additional capabilities to further enhance and increase the immersion and simulation quality.

2. Objectives
This internship project aims to support ESA’s evolution and utilisation of the LUNA analog facility by:

• Supporting the development and integration of new capabilities through the element engineering process from requirements engineering to system design, manufacturing, testing and verification, commissioning and operations; 
• Supporting the concept of operations development for LUNA and its application in campaign activities with internal and external partners.

3. Methodology and Tasks
The internship will integrate into the existing Spaceship EAC/LUNA team at ESA and – based on interest and needs – support one or multiple of the development and utilisation activities below. Additional topics may also be identified throughout the internship period.

• Development of the concept of operations of the LUNA facility and its application for campaign utilisation;
• Habitation systems development and their integration into mission simulations;
• Analog space suit evolution and operations, incl. tools development;
• Engineering and test support to development activities for LUNA elements such as gravity offloading, ramp, sun simulation, regolith handling;
• Dust monitoring and mitigation strategies for LUNA operations and future Moon missions;
• Integration of research and technologies related to in-situ resource utilisation with LUNA.

4. Expected Outcomes
Based on the actual task assignments, the outcomes of the internship will include contributions to the LUNA operations and utilisation documentation as well as procedures and training manuals. The interns will be directly involved in the LUNA operations, work with actual hardware and interface with scientific investigations in LUNA which could lead to production or contributions to publications and conference presentations.

5. Relevance
As ESA, NASA, and international partners plan sustainable human presence on the Moon, LUNA will be instrumental to prepare and bring together European expertise for lunar science, technology development, astronaut and operator training, and lunar mission operations.

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 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 in aerospace engineering, analog operations, geosciences and materials are considered an asset.