ESA Graduate Trainee in Satellite Control, Data Analysis and Ground Segment Awareness

Job Requisition ID: 19242

Date Posted: 1 February 2025

Application Deadline: 28 February 2025 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: External Only

Type of Contract: ESA Graduate Trainee

Directorate: Operations

Workplace: Darmstadt, DE

Grade Band: F1 - F1

Location
ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Our team and mission
The Astronomy and Fundamental Physics Missions Division is responsible for the design, implementation and operations of the mission operations ground segment and the spacecraft operations for Science and selected Space Safety programme missions in the area of operations, typically from start of phase B through in-flight commissioning to routine mission operations until the end of mission.

The division comprises a variety of missions that are either in preparation, like Plato and Ariel, or in operations, like Euclid, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL. XMM-Newton e. g. is an X-ray observatory that combines the largest mirror assembly ever flown with advanced detector technology such as CCD cameras and high-resolution grating spectrometers and an optical monitor, observing cosmic objects like black holes, active galaxies (galaxies that have a small core of emission embedded at the center of an otherwise typical galaxy) or super nova remnants (when dying stars explode as supernovae, they usually eject a chaotic web of dust and gas).

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
You will support the XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL Flight Control Team to execute the mission operations and to assess the performance of the missions and their ground segment.

You will build up experience in the following areas:

• General insight in the know how, organization and culture of satellite operations
• Systems that measure the performance of the various ground segment and spacecraft elements

Specifically he/she will have the opportunity to support the transfer of an existing spacecraft monitoring system to a more modern space and ground awareness system including potentialy already existing tools from the ESOC AI roadmap with standard monitoring and evaluation tools/scripts. This will also involve interaction with EGTs at our Astronomy Center in Madrid (ESAC).
The specific tasks will be based on the candidate’s actual skills and interests. Therefore, the candidate will gain valuable knowledge and experience in the design, functions and operations of a satellite control centre with emphasis on both analyzing housekeeping data to monitor spacecraft health and diagnose faults - and monitoring ground segment status and performance.

Details on the work:
XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL subsystems are currently monitored live via the mission control system with so called Out of Limits, which indicate if a system has a transient problem, starts to fail or has failed already. A monitoring software using idl data language extracts vital parameters from an archive called MUST and plots their behaviour or calculates derivedobservables to assess mission status. The output of those systems is displayed on a webserver or notifications are sentvia email to users.

In the framework of a migration of the current webserver to a fully new system in 2025 the team plans to migrate the monitoring idl code to phyton and extend it with new features of trend analysis. Here already existing AI tools from the ESA AI roadmap shall be used and/or integrated. Similar activities are performed for the instruments on-board of XMM by a EGT at ESAC. In collaboration with this ESAC EGT, a new monitoring system shall be developed that ideally utilises shared Phyton libraries adaptable for use at both sites. You will enhance, customize, and refine already existing basic functionalities.

Furthermore, a Near Realtime Ground Segment monitoring system will be developed by the you to display the status of selected systems on the webserver and integrate this information with mission planning and ground station coverage data in an intelligent way.

Overall the you will be responsible for integrating existing tools with new “connectors” and “interfaces” to develop a sustainable system that enhances the spacecraft and ground monitoring in a modern and visually accessible manner both in the Mission Control System and for remote or office use.

Technical competencies
Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains

Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities

General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities

Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

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 should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’ s degree in physics and/or software engineering.

Additional requirements
You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team. Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.

Knowledge of Python or other programming languages and/or experience in data analysis and/or usage of AI tools are essential.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
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 [email protected].

Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will be given to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.

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.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

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