Intern in the Electrical Department - AOCS and Pointing Architecture Section

EU Satellite Centre (SatCen); Noordwijk; On-site; EUR 10,000 - 15,000; Full time

Job summary

ESA, based at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands, invites university students in their final or penultimate year to join the AOCS & Pointing Architecture Section. The role focuses on developing an AOCS performance assessment tool and its time-domain simulator, with a robust tuning pipeline for early mission feasibility studies.

The internship covers architecture trade-off analyses, micro-vibration impact studies, and comprehensive tool documentation, including a user manual and hands-on training.

Qualifications

• University student in final or penultimate year of Master’s course.
• Must be enrolled at the university for the entire duration of the internship.
• Good knowledge of English (and/or French) is required.

Responsibilities

• Develop an AOCS & pointing performance assessment tool and its time-domain simulator.
• Enhance the tuning pipeline and document the process of design and tuning.
• Perform architecture trade-off assessments across sensor/actuator sets and report results.
• Consolidate micro-vibration impact assessment with updated disturbance spectra and dynamics envelopes.
• Create tool and simulator documentation including a user manual and hands-on training.

Skills

Robust control

Dynamics modelling

Python

Education

Master's student

Tools

Matlab/Simulink

Python

Job description

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Our team and mission

The Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) & Pointing Architecture Section provides functional support to ESA projects in the technical field of AOCS & pointing systems for ESA missions on the following applicative directorates: Earth Observation, Science, Resilience, Navigation & Connectivity.
The AOCS & Pointing Architecture Section carries out technological research, harmonisation and standardisation in the field of AOCS and Pointing systems, with a focus on subsystem competitiveness, and innovation for performance, robustness and process improvements.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

As an intern in the AOCS & Pointing Architecture Section, you will develop an AOCS & pointing performance assessment tool and its time-domain simulator with a robust tuning pipeline to enable early mission feasibility assessment and architecture trade-offs.

The objectives are:

• to model and document the main performance drivers with focus on gyroless architectures and Star Tracker accommodation (including fusion of non-orthogonal Star tracker Optical Heads, dynamic-stellar estimator, and tachometer-stellar estimator);
• to consolidate the controller tuning optimisation (already implemented in the tool) with robust control synthesis & analysis for further optimised performance, with a generic design & tuning pipeline and the documentation of the process (including of the comparison with respect to the initial optimised tuning);
• to consolidate the architecture trade-off capacities (already implemented in the tool) by performing and documenting systematic performance evaluations over sets of Hardware suites (sensors and actuators) for architecture trade-offs, for different missions;
• to consolidate the early micro-vibrations impact assessment (already implemented in the tool) with improved Reaction Wheel disturbance spectrum (waterfall plots catalogue) & high frequency dynamics envelope and the documentation of the models & process (how to set the dynamics envelope without a full satellite Finite Element Model);
• to consolidate the verification & validation of the tool & simulator with built-in verification tests and documentation;
• to consolidate the tool & simulator documentation, with a user manual & hands-on training (setting of the tool, configuration for a new satellite mission, running early performance assessment and performing architecture trade-offs, controller optimised tuning, and running consolidated performance assessment with further improved robust tuning).

This updated version of our tool will be used for early definition of future Earth Observation and Science missions during the internship.

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.

Knowledge and background in the following fields is an asset:

• sensors, actuators and dynamics modelling;
• robust control and performance;
• Matlab/Simulink and Python.

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 [e-mail].

Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.

Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.

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, Cyprus, 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.