Our team and mission

The Directorate of Space Transportation (D/STS) mission is the European independent access to and freedom in space. The Directorate's main activities are related to the:

• development and exploitation of Ariane and Vega launch systems;
• maintenance and upgrading of the European Space port (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana;
• development of new launch and space transportation systems, including reusable demonstrators.

Within the Directorate, the Space Transportation Technology Coordination Office (STS-CT), part of the Chief Technical Advisor Office (STS-C) is involved in selected critical preparatory activities with the industry for enabling critical informed decisions by Member States on developing future European transportation capabilities, and has the mission of fostering transversal technology synergies across STS and ESA, seeking shared and optimized technology roadmaps for Europe.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Super Heavy Reusable Launch System Pathfinder Mission Analysis

In the framework of this internship, you will perform analysis cross-checks to support the design optimisation of a two-stage super heavy reusable launch vehicle based on a single engine approach. Therefore, your internship will focus on the design optimisation of a two-stage super heavy reusable launch vehicle architecture employing a single engine type for both stages, properly clustered for both lower and upper stages. The objective is to investigate the design trade-offs and performance implications induced by the engine commonality, with particular attention to trajectory optimisation and vehicle sizing.
More specifically, your tasks will include:

• review existing two-stage launch vehicle configurations and engine commonality studies;
• define a reference mission and baseline vehicle parameters (e.g., payload mass, target orbit, launch site);
• select candidate engines based on performance parameters, operational constraints, scalability;
• perform mass estimation and structural sizing of the vehicle, based on design considerations (similarity, engineering estimates, etc.);
• perform trajectory simulations for different configurations and staging strategies, and relevant trade-offs;
• perform vehicle design verifications based on trajectory results, with sensitivity of the launch vehicle performance to key design parameters;
• assess the impact of engine commonality on stage geometry, tank sizing, and mass ratios, providing evidence of advantages and disadvantages of the investigated solutions.

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 the following are an asset:

• experience and/or skills with launch systems and technically related fields, in particular in the field of trajectory analysis and system simulations.