ESA Graduate Trainee in Clean Space and Circular Economy Analysis

Our team and mission

The ESA Space Safety Programme Office takes care of all potential hazards from space or in space that can impact human activities, both on Earth and in space. Its tasks include developing a basic understanding of space hazards originating from our Sun, human-made space debris or asteroids with the potential to collide with Earth. The Office also investigates basic approaches to mitigate these hazards and to implement space systems end-to-end in a sustainable and eco-compatible manner. Several Cornerstone missions are under way to demonstrate basic methods of space weather forecasting, asteroid deflection and active space debris removal from orbit.

ESA’s Cleanspace and Circular Economy Office develops solutions and missions to protect the environment on Earth and in space and to ensure continued access to space for future generations.

The team’s work is focused on the three following areas:

• Ecodesign for space: providing a framework and developing technical solutions for embedding environmental sustainability within space mission design to achieve the objectives of ESA’s Green Agenda through the development, demonstration and use of ecodesigned technologies.
• End-of-life management: developing innovative technologies to prevent the creation of future debris and implementing system activities to promote their integration in future missions, striving to achieve solutions and capacity-building in the European space sector for implementing a zero debris approach for ESA missions by 2030.
• In-orbit servicing: enabling commercial missions aiming to service other satellites through active debris removal, repairing, refuelling or even recycling, as the cornerstone for a vital new European business.

You are encouraged to visit the ESA Clean Space blog: blogs.esa.int/cleanspace

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

You will support the Office in research and implementation covering a variety of Clean Space activities across the themes of ecodesign, end-of-life management, active debris removal and in-orbit servicing.

For end-of-life management, you will support:

• the development of the zero debris approach and the assessment of impacts at system level;
• the development of end-of-life technologies;
• the zero debris system-level activities (i.e. platform and technologies).

For circular economy and in-orbit servicing, you will support:

• the implementation of studies for future circular economy missions and technology developments;
• the development of a strategic vision and the study of future in-orbit servicing use cases;
• the development and implementation of a technology roadmap for in-orbit servicing, including sensors, GNC and robotics.

Technical competencies

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 should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’ s degree in aerospace engineering.

Additional requirements

You 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.