ESA Graduate Trainee in the SmallSat Operations Team for Development of a Pass Planning Tool

Job title:

ESA Graduate Trainee in the SmallSat Operations Team for Development of a Pass Planning Tool

Company

European Space Agency

Job description

LocationESEC, Redu, BelgiumOur team and missionESEC, the European Space Security and Education Centre at Redu in Belgium is a centre of excellence for space cyber security services, home to ESA’s PROBA mission control centre, the Space Weather Data Centre, the ESA Education Training Centre as well as part of ESA’s ground station network.ESEC provides S-band links for ESA’s network of ground stations, as well as in-orbit testing for telecommunication and navigation satellites for which it hosts all the facilities used to test the Galileo signal.ESEC hosts part of the ESA Education program. It has welcomed participants to the ESA Academy Training and Learning Facility, where, in collaboration with university academic institutions, ESA works to transfer expertise, knowhow and best practices to European university students. Since 2018, ESEC also hosts the ESA Academy CubeSat Support Facility, a state-of-the-art assembly integration and test facility to be used by student teams involved in the ESA Education’s student CubeSat initiative.You will be part of the SmallSat Operations Team responsible for controlling the PROBA mission. The prime function of the operations team at ESEC/Redu (Belgium) is to interface satellites and ground facilities required for their control and utilisation.The main tasks are:

• Satellite mission operations (planning, monitoring and control).
• Operational preparation for new missions.
• In-orbit testing of communications, data relay and navigation satellites.
• Ground facility operations and maintenance.

ESA activities at ESEC/Redu cover a wide range of disciplines and there is significant hands-on work.You are encouraged to visit the ESA website:Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeshipAs YGT in the SmallSat operations team you will help design and implement a pass planning and reservation tool for a given set of satellites and ground stations.The tool you develop shall unify the systems used by Proba-3 and the other small-sat mission and also be extendable to future missions.The following points give an overview of the main features to be developed:

• Automatically propose a selection of passes to track, based on the configured spacecraft, and resolving scheduling conflicts while optimising payload downlink based a set of priorities and selection rules;
• Update the graphical user interface which displays all possible passes and allows easy modification of the ones selected by the operations engineer;
• Automatically retrieve all information required for planning these passes from other services hosted in the operations centre and the internet;
• Interface with the ESTRACK scheduling system as well as scheduling systems of external ground station providers according to the CCSDS standards and mission interface control documents.

The features above are expected to be completely implemented during the traineeship, while we also provide you with the possibility to propose new features that depend on your skills and your own ideas on how to improve or extend the system. This might include interfacing with various visualisation tools used by the operations team, the flight dynamics suite or antenna controller systems. All implemented features have to be reliable, well-tested and documented.As YGT you will be integrated closely into the SmallSat operations team based at ESEC/Redu (Belgium) and be in close contact with the Mission Analyst, Operations Engineers and Manager. The operations team will support you with the above tasks through expertise in the fields of ground segment automation, antenna control, R/F signal (de-)modulation and satellite operations in general. As a technological demonstrator, the PROBA mission shows some significant differences to traditional missions, which include responsibility not only for the spacecraft but also for the ground segment and R/F chain. During the course of your traineeship this unique setup within ESA will allow you to learn about many different aspects of spacecraft operations and grant you an end-to-end view of the system.Technical competenciesKnowledge of relevant technical/functional domainsRelevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activitiesGeneral knowledge of the space sector and relevant activitiesKnowledge of ESA and its programmes/projectsBehavioural competenciesResult OrientationOperational EfficiencyFostering CooperationRelationship ManagementContinuous ImprovementForward ThinkingFor more information, please refer toEducationYou should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’ s degree in computer sciences, mathematics or a comparable field.Additional requirementsYou 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. Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.As the topic is development-oriented, good knowledge of Python3 and Unix environments is required while experience with git and/or Docker are considered assets.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, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.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. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures.The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working 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 and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).According to the , the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will be given to external candidates from *.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.*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

Expected salary

Location

Redu, Luxemburg

Job date

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 01:31:06 GMT

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