Intern in the Space Weather Office of ESA's Space Safety Programme

Job Requisition ID: 18933

Application Deadline: 30 November 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Establishment: ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Directorate: Directorate of Operations

Publication: External Only

Type of Contract: Intern

Date Posted: 1 November 2024

Internship Opportunity in the Directorate of Operations

Location
Darmstadt

Our team and mission
This position is based at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) - Darmstadt, Germany

The ESA Space Safety Programme Office takes care of all potential hazards from space or in space, which can impact human activities on Earth or again in space. The spectrum of tasks ranges from gathering the basic understanding of space hazards originating from our Sun, from man-made space debris, or from asteroids potentially colliding with the Earth. It also addresses basic approaches to mitigate these hazards and to implement space systems end-to-end in a sustainable and eco-compatible way. Moreover, several cornerstone missions are underway to demonstrate basic methods of space weather forecasting, asteroid deflection, and active space debris removal from orbit.

In execution of these tasks, the Space Safety Office has the following entities:

• Space Weather Office (OPS-SW);
• Planetary Defence Office (OPS-SP);
• Space Debris Office (OPS-SD);
• Clean Space Office (OPS-SC);
• Frequency Management Office (OPS-SF).

The Space Weather Office is responsible for developing the ESA Space Weather System that allows nowcasting and forecasting space weather, i.e., the enormous eruptions in the Sun that impact the environment everywhere in our solar system. When these eruptions hit the Earth, they can cause major damage to infrastructure on the surface, damage satellites, and endanger the health of astronauts in space. Geomagnetic storms triggered by solar events can cause blackouts in power grids, disturb satellite navigation and communication, and disrupt aviation, transport, and many other functions that we are used to in our daily life. Energetic particles from solar events can also damage space probes sent to other planets in the solar system. This is why the Space Weather Office is developing space weather forecasting capability to mitigate these effects. The Space Weather Office is also responsible for the development and implementation of satellite missions for space weather monitoring to enable space weather services to users.

Field(s) of activity for the internship
Topic of the internship: Space Weather Mission Performance Simulation

ESA is developing an enhanced Space Weather Sensor System to provide data for forecasting and to monitor Space Weather effects. Due to the asymmetry and complexity of Earth's magnetosphere, the involved particle environment and its dynamics, it is necessary to capture the state of the magnetic field and the particle distribution in a sufficiently large number of sampling points around the Earth, allowing state-monitoring and modeling of the involved processes with sufficient accuracy and timeliness.

An important aspect for the realization of observation systems for Space Safety is the need for high reliability, sufficiently long lifetime, and low data latencies as the data will be used for operational purposes. For this, ESA is implementing multiple dedicated Space Weather missions, from nanosatellites to small satellites flying in various orbits, as well as studying several additions to the measurement system. Your role would be to join the team and contribute to the analysis of their mission performance through the use of different Space Weather models and instrument data. This analysis will provide insight into the optimization of the mission design and operations. This highly important contribution will give you a chance to become familiar with the different steps of a space mission execution from early study phases to implementation and managing ongoing missions in space.

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

For more information, please refer to the 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
A good knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

Knowledge and experience in python programming and data analysis 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).

Apply now »