Our team and mission

The Independent Safety Office is responsible for:

• overseeing the implementation and is supporting the development and maintenance of the ESA policies, requirements and standards for all aspects of human spaceflight safety engineering, space debris mitigation, re-entry safety, nuclear power safety and planetary protection;
• coordinating and cooperating with international partners and bodies;
• ensuring independent verification of compliance of projects and suppliers regarding human spaceflight safety engineering, planetary protection, nuclear power safety and space debris mitigation requirements and is supporting the resolution of in-flight anomalies;
• supporting Member States in the evaluation of launch authorizations for compliance with Space Debris Mitigation requirements in the frame of Technical Assistance Agreements;
• assessing safety posture for US crew vehicles transporting ESA astronauts.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Space Debris Mitigation

Space debris is defined as “All non-functional, human-made objects ... in orbit or reentering Earth's atmosphere.” As of today about 10 thousand tonnes of space objects are in orbit and the number is rapidly increasing, so that if current behaviours and trends in orbit continue, crucial orbital regions may become entirely unusable.

In response to this, ESA has decided to introduce the ‘Zero Debris approach’ to significantly limit the production of debris in Earth and Lunar orbits by 2030 for all future missions. As first step in this process, ESA's Space Debris Mitigation Policy and Technical Standards were updated in 2023, introducing stricter mitigation measures and novel analyses to get a more accurate representation of the risk associated to space missions in their different phases. These documents are planned to be further updated by 2030 to enable the full implementation of the Zero Debris approach across all ESA missions.

Your tasks will include:

• review of Existing and Emerging Space Debris Mitigation Standards, Policies and frameworks, both within Europe and internationally, identifying key trends, gaps, and potential areas of improvement;
• analysis of Lessons Learned from ESA Activities Related to Zero Debris (technology development, studies), for the purpose of informing Space Debris Mitigation requirements evolution. Activities may include: study on Zero Debris thresholds evolution, spacecraft platforms evolution for Zero Debris, dark and quiet skies, Zero Debris for lunar missions, Close Proximity Operations, etc.;
• analysis of lessons learned from ESA mission reviews of compliance with Space Debris Mitigation requirements, including a critical review of the assessed compliance level across ESA projects, based on the annual report prepared by our team, and analysis of collected data;
• consult with ESA internal experts (e.g. from engineering, operations, legal, and sustainability domains) working on specific areas of Zero Debris (disposal, passivation, collision risk management, space surveillance and tracking, lunar safety considerations, re-entry safety, close proximity operations safety, debris population evolution, etc) gather input on challenges, constraints, and opportunities related to the evolution of space debris mitigation requirements;
• prepare a consolidated report summarizing recommendations and supporting analyses for informing ESA’s Space Debris Mitigation requirements evolution by 2030. You may be invited to present your findings to relevant ESA panels or working groups.

You will work in a small team and you will be involved in regular coordination meetings. You will have the opportunity to actively contribute to on-going projects and present results to the international community.

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.

Knowledge and background in space debris issues and systems engineering is an asset.