Our team and mission

The Astrophysics Missions Division is responsible for the design, implementation, and operation 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.  

The internship takes place in the XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL Flight Control Team, the team of engineers responsible for the day-to-day operation of the spacecraft and its ground systems. The work of the team includes monitoring of spacecraft health and performance, planning and execution of operational activities, investigating and responding to anomalies, and ensuring that the mission continues to meet its scientific objectives safely and efficiently.  

XMM-Newton 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 or super nova remnants.  

INTEGRAL is a gamma-ray observatory equipped with instruments for gamma-ray, X-ray and optical observations, studying highly energetic cosmic phenomena such as neutron stars, black holes, supernova remnants and gamma-ray bursts. It investigates the most extreme physical processes in the universe by observing high-energy radiation. 

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

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, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of a Ground and Space Segment Awareness System. This activity will also involve interaction with a European Graduate Trainee at ESOC. The exact tasks will be tailored to your skills, interests, and project needs. Through this assignment, you will gain valuable knowledge and hands-on experience in the design, functionality, and operations of a satellite control centre, with a particular focus on monitoring and visualising ground segment status.  

The Ground and Space Segment Awareness System provides a real-time overview of the spacecraft, ground segment and mission status, helping engineers understand what is happening across the mission. It enables them to maintain situational awareness, assess mission status and support investigating operational anomalies. 

The system should be updated and enhanced with new capabilities. Planned developments include the integration of spacecraft orbit visualisation with information on the Earth's radiation environment and improvements to the user interface and experience. Additional activities may include the implementation of further operational and user-driven requirements, such as enhanced visualisation of attitude and orbit control information.  

Depending on your interests and the project priorities at the time, there will also be opportunities to contribute to other system enhancements and operational support tools. 

This assignment provides exposure to both operational and engineering aspects of mission support systems and offers experience in a multidisciplinary environment closely linked to spacecraft operations at ESOC. 

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 in your final or second-to-last year of university course 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.

What you bring: 

• Good programming skills in Python and familiarity with web technologies (JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML, CSS);  
• interest in developing practical software for data processing, visualisation and operational awareness;  
• curiosity about satellite operations, space systems and ground-segment engineering;  
• motivation to write clear, maintainable and well-documented code;  
• a collaborative mindset and readiness to develop solutions iteratively based on operational needs and user feedback;  
• experience with dashboards, data visualisation, Grafana or CesiumJS would be an asset.