Intern in the ESA Academy

Our team and mission

This position is based at European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC - Galaxia) - Transinne, Belgium 

In consideration of the geographical location of ESEC-Galaxia, successful applicants are recommended to identify accommodation close to the site, or to have / obtain a driving license prior to the take up of the internship.

The ESA Academy, a part of the ESA Education Office, is the agency’s overarching programme for university student space projects and training opportunities.

Through a tailored transfer of space know-how and interaction with space professionals, the Academy takes students through a learning path that complements their academic education.

The ESA Academy programme comprises of three main segments:

• An academic TRAINING programme which offers individuals a portfolio of highly qualifying training sessions covering a wide range of space-related topics delivered by professional experts;
• A PROJECTS programme, allowing teams to design, build, test and operate small satellites and payload experiments on space-related platforms, such as through the ESA Academy Experiments programme;
• An ENGAGEMENT pillar, providing students and young professionals with scholarship, conference and networking opportunities.

'Fly Your Satellite!' is a programme within the Projects pillar which supports educational satellite teams developing CubeSats and other small satellites, with the design, test, launch and operations of their satellite missions. 

The CubeSat Support Facility (CSF) is a teaching, training and testing facility for educational CubeSats and other space hardware. Its purpose is to offer training and test facilities for university students that are part, or aiming to be part, of ESA’s educational satellite initiatives such as ‘Fly Your Satellite!', as well as supporting practical training as part of the Training Programme.

Information on the activities of the ESA Academy can be found at www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy. 

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

You can choose between the following topics:

1) Topic 1: Support the new ESA Academy Engagement activities

As an intern in the ESA Academy's new Engagement pillar, you will support the coordination of various programmes, including Student Conference Sponsorship, Short Course Scholarship, Academic Scholarship, SME’s Internship Support, and Book a Space Pro. You will be involved in the different steps of the programmes, assisting the event organisers and sponsored students where needed. You will help identify and implement process improvements, design an efficient database to manage programmes data, and extract meaningful statistics.

2) Topic 2: Preliminary study for a CubeSat shock testing facility

Specific tasks may include:

• Investigation of typical CubeSat shock testing methodologies and philosophy;
• Review of available shock testing equipment (instrumentation, shock table types, …);
• Requirements identification for a CubeSat shock testing facility, including key trade-offs, key parameter identification, rough cost estimations;
• Design of test protocols to be applied during CubeSat shock tests.

3) Topic 3: Development of EMC experiment for ESA Academy Training

Specific tasks may include:

• Understanding EMC key topics and applications for CubeSats;
• Review current testing methodologies and set-up for CubeSats;
• Develop a simple exercise to be executed in ambient conditions (outside of anechoic chamber) at ESEC - Galaxia;
• Support the development of an EMC PCB supporting the exercise to be developed.

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.

Educational knowledge:
1) Topic 1:  Knowledge on database design and statistic tools would be an asset.
2) Topic 2:  Basic knowledge of CubeSat systems; Structural testing / analysis knowledge is a strong asset.
3) Topic 3:  Basic knowledge of digital and analogue electronics; Hands-on experience with electronics; Basic knowledge of CubeSats Systems.