Intern in the Mission Operations Department, GAIA and OPS-SAT Mission Operations Unit
Darmstadt
- Organization: ESA - European Space Agency
- Location: Darmstadt
- Grade: Internship - Internship
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Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Closing Date: 2025-11-30
Intern in the Mission Operations Department, GAIA and OPS-SAT Mission Operations Unit
Darmstadt, DE
Location
ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany
Our team and mission
OPS-SAT Space Lab is an international award winning project which for the first time allows European and Canadian external experimenters to develop, load and execute their own software and firmware in space for no charge. The first mission, OPS-SAT-1, (2019 – 2024) has now finished and several follow-on missions are in development and one is presently in flight (https://opssat.esa.int/). The Lab has evolved from a single mission to a mult mission infrastructure. Many experimenters have used the Lab, ranging from other space agencies such as NASA, JAXA, CNES and DLR, to big primes such as Airbus down to university departments and start-ups.
Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Field(s) of activity for the internship
Internship topic: Mission Applications Deployment live Monitoring Tool
ESA must support the OPS-SAT experimenter community, helping them get familiar with the different OPS-SAT mission on-board environments and how to control the many sensors, actuators and payloads. You will provide this support directly interacting with the experimenters and arranging tests of their experiments through the various parts of the lifecycle and finally supervising the tests on the real spacecraft. In addition, you will support the development cycle of spacecraft in preparation.
Through these activities, you will be exposed to many of the important domains making up mission control and many of the institutions and companies that make up the experiment 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.
Proven experience in some sort of software development (e.g. Linux, Python) is essential. Any experience in programming FPGAs, optical communication or cubesat projects would be an asset.
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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
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.
Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.
The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding internship 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
Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.