Our team and mission

This position is based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) - Noordwijk, Netherlands

The Earth and Mission Science Division, of the Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department, Earth Observation Programmes Directorate, is based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre. The Earth and Mission Science Division provides the creative vision for innovation and new discoveries in Earth system science, using Earth Observation (EO) in close cooperation with the scientific community.

The Earth and Mission Science Division team:

• Bridges science and technology by translating ideas and concepts into technical reality and scientific success. It does this by defining, consolidating and managing scientific mission requirements throughout all phases of a mission, and by measuring the maturity of the resulting mission concept;
• Manages scientific research-based studies, providing the scientific foundation for mission concepts and approval, supports the successful development of space and ground segment, in-orbit satellite commissioning and in-orbit scientific achievements;
• Undertakes airborne, marine and terrestrial campaigns contributing the development of new technologies, mission feasibility assessments, calibration/validation and application development;

You will work within the Earth Surfaces and Interior Section of the Earth and Mission Science Division, whose role is to provide broad mission science support throughout the preparation and development of Earth Observation missions. Your activities will contribute to and benefit from a diverse and international team of scientists working across a variety of Earth Science disciplines.
 

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Harmony End-to-End Mission Performance Simulation 

Harmony is ESA’s 10th Earth Explorer mission dedicated to the observation and quantification of small-scale motion and deformation (velocity gradient) fields to allow data-driven representations of processes in Earth System models, primarily, at the air-sea interface, of the solid Earth, and in the cryosphere. Due to the multi-faceted mission, a number of different simulation and performance estimation models have been constructed.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking a talented and enthusiastic intern to join our team for using and potentially further enhancing the currently available mission performance evaluation tools. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Use high-fidelity simulation environments to demonstrate the mission’s capability to deliver science data within the stated mission requirements;
• Identify and suggest areas of improvement within the existing tools, both on fundamental aspects as well as on user-friendliness;
• Use of derived performance evaluations to construct, assess and quantify science data (Level-2) error budgets.

Information on the Harmony mission can be retrieved here:
https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/EarthObservation/EE10_Harmony_Report-for-Selection_21June2022.pdf

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 a university course at Master’s level and you need to remain 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 Member State language would be an asset.

Additional Requirements:

• A solid understanding of and background in at least one of the Harmony science disciplines and applications;
• Demonstrable programming skills with Python;
• Knowledge of either active microwave (e.g. SAR) and optical remote sensing is considered an asset.