Our team and mission

Hera is ESA’s planetary defence mission currently under development for launch in October 2024. In December 2026, it will rendezvous with the Didymos binary asteroid which was impacted by NASA’s DART spacecraft on 26 September 2022 in the world’s first asteroid deflection test. The main goals of Hera are to provide a detailed characterisation of the physical properties of Didymos and its moon Dimorphos, as well as the crater left behind by the DART mission, and to measure the momentum transfer efficiency resulting from DART’s impact. The data from the Hera spacecraft and its two CubeSats (Milani and Juventas) will also provide significant insights into asteroid science and the evolutionary history of our Solar System. Hera will perform the first rendezvous with a binary asteroid and provide new measurements, such as radar sounding of an asteroid interior, which will allow models in the field of planetary science to be tested. Hera will therefore play a crucial role in the global effort to avert future asteroid impacts, while also performing world-leading science.

The Hera spacecraft is currently being integrated by a European industrial consortium spanning 17 countries. The environmental test campaign is planned for the third quarter of 2023 at ESTEC. The spacecraft will then return to the prime contractor’s premises to complete system and mission validation tests before starting the launch campaign. The ESA team provides support in reviewing and overseeing the industrial consortium’s activities, working hand-in-hand to ensure mission success. If selected for the position, you will work in an extremely motivated and multicultural environment interfacing with several industries. With the launch window being open for only two weeks in October 2024, strong motivation and the ability to work under pressure will be required.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

As a Young Graduate Trainee, you will work closely with the project integration and test team to prepare the satellite system-level tests necessary to verify and validate the mission and system requirements. 

You will be involved in providing support, as part of the project team, during the environmental test campaign and the final verification of the Hera satellite before its shipment to the launch site. More specifically, the test campaign will be prepared by the Hera Mission’s prime contractor on the avionics test bench and software validation facility before being run on the flight model. 

Your activities will include:

• supporting the preparation, review and pre-validation of the test scripts on the software validation facility;
• supporting the test team in running the scripts on the spacecraft avionics test bench and satellite flight model;
• contributing to the evaluation of the post-test results;
• potentially developing tools to support test data analysis;
• participating in the review of the test results and reports;
• participating in the investigation of anomalies and contributing to their resolution.

In addition, you will support the team in daily project management activities, including taking meeting minutes and organising meetings and workshops, as well as providing support for communication and outreach activities.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your Master’ s degree in aerospace engineering

Additional requirements

Knowledge of C, matlab, labview and similar programming environments would be considered an asset.
Participation in team projects and international environments would be considered an asset. 

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

During the interview, your motivation and overall professional career goals will also be explored.