Thermo-Elastic Modelling Intern — Spacecraft & Payload

EU Satellite Centre (SatCen); Noordwijk; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 16,000; Full time

Job summary

ESA's EnVision project team in Noordwijk invites a Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering to explore thermo-elastic coupling between spacecraft and payload hardware. You will extend existing models by adding instruments and electronics, run analyses to assess deformation, and develop simplified methods to speed up large-scale simulations while preserving accuracy.

You will work under ESA's Technical Directorate, gaining hands-on experience with finite element methods, and collaborate with

Qualifications

• University student in a Master program, ideally final or penultimate year.
• Willingness to enrol for the full duration of the internship.
• Knowledge of thermo-elasticity and engineering analysis is an asset.
• Knowledge of Finite Element Analysis and NASTRAN is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Investigate how spacecraft platform and payload interactions influence thermo-elastic distortions.
• Enhance the EnVision thermo-elastic model by including payload instruments and electronics units.
• Develop simplified modelling approaches to capture coupling effects efficiently.
• Evaluate separation vs integrated analyses to reproduce results for validation.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary spacecraft engineering teams.

Skills

Thermo-elastic analysis

Mechanical modelling

Engineering simulation

Education

Master's student in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

Finite Element Analysis

Job description

ESA's EnVision project team in Noordwijk invites a Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering to explore thermo-elastic coupling between spacecraft and payload hardware. You will extend existing models by adding instruments and electronics, run analyses to assess deformation, and develop simplified methods to speed up large-scale simulations while preserving accuracy.

You will work under ESA's Technical Directorate, gaining hands-on experience with finite element methods, and collaborate with