Intern in the Mechanical Department - Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section

European Space Agency; Nederland; Hybrid; EUR 6,700 - 10,000; Full time

Job summary

European Space Agency in Noordwijk, Netherlands invites an Intern in the Mechanical Department - Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section. You will learn about ISRU processes and lunar materials, and contribute to sintering and characterization experiments essential for future missions.

The internship offers hands-on procedures development and collaboration within ESA’s labs, with exposure to diverse space-mission preparation activities.

Qualifications

• You must be a university student enrolled for the entire duration of the internship.
• Preference for final or second-to-last year of Master's level study.
• Good knowledge of English or French; other ESA languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Learn about lunar materials, lunar soil simulants, ISRU processes.
• Develop procedures to sinter lunar soil and simulants.
• Characterise samples using SEM/EDX, XRD, XRF, X-Ray Tomography.
• Support electrochemical experiments extracting oxygen from sintered simulants.

Skills

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

Master’s student

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Intern in the Mechanical Department - Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section

Job Requisition ID: 21044

Date Posted: 1 November 2026

Closing Date: 30 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method: External Only

Directorate: Technology, Engineering and Quality

Workplace:
Noordwijk, NL

Our team and mission

The Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section is part of the Optics, Robotics and Life Sciences Division. Our team works in the area of life support technologies for Human spaceflight, In Situ Resource Utilisation, planetary protection and small payload development for planetary missions, like the Moon and Mars. We do technology development for future missions and support flight projects under implementation as well. In this context we work on In Situ Resource Utilisation processes, with a focus on molten salt electrolysis.

Currently, experiments on oxygen production using molten salt electrolysis are being performed in the ESTEC laboratories.
These experiments will reduce the samples to extract the oxygen and turn the samples into metallic powders, potentially suitable for additive manufacturing. Although these electrochemical experiments can use powder material, a sintered block is preferred. The whole process poses many challenges in terms of material and electrolyte stability, process efficiency and yield, sintering process parameters and optimisation.

In this internship, you are expected to:

• learn about the lunar materials and environment;
• learn about the lunar soil simulants and variations to actual lunar soil;
• learn about existing processes in the field of In‑Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU);
• develop a comprehensive procedure to sinter lunar soil and lunar soil simulant;
• characterise lunar soil simulant before and after sintering by SEM/EDX, XRD, XRF, X-Ray Tomography;
• support the electrochemical experiments extracting the oxygen from the sintered lunar soil simulants.

You will also be immersed in the ESA environment which includes space mission preparation and experimentation.

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

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 of Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
Experience with molten salt electrolysis and high‑temperature materials is an asset.

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.