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: Human Surface Operations Support for first Flexhab Campaign – Bridging Science and Operations

You will become an integral member of the EAC Study and Ops Teams and contribute to all phases of the Flexhab Pilot Campaign, from preparation to execution and post-mission analysis. Main activities include:

• Campaign Coordination Support: Assist in planning, scheduling, and harmonising activities between science and operations teams.
• Logistics Support: Help manage equipment, consumables, data handling tools and timelines before and during the simulation.
• Science–Operations Bridging: Facilitate communication between scientists and mission control by translating scientific objectives into operational steps and vice versa.
• Documentation and Data Support: Draft and update campaign documentation, maintain configuration logs, and support data analysis activities post-simulation.
• Live Support During Campaign: Participate in campaign execution, including real-time monitoring and coordination during simulated EVAs.

This internship provides a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on lunar analogue mission activities while gaining insight into the challenges of human surface exploration.

Expected Outcomes

• A scientific paper presenting the main results of the first Flexhab campaign;
• Contribution to ESA’s strategy for sustainable and autonomous crewed habitat 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 studying 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.

Additional skills required:

• Basic medical knowledge;
• Basic biomedical engineering knowledge;
• Basic knowledge in human study design and ethics.

Desirable experience and interests:

• Experience in mission simulations, field campaigns, or analogue environments is a strong asset;
• Familiarity with tools for scheduling, documentation, and scientific workflows is desirable;
• Interest in lunar science and human exploration missions.