Intern in the ESTRACK Stations and Infrastructure Section, Mission Operations Department

Our team and mission

This position is based at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) - Darmstadt, Germany

Under the direct authority of the Head of the Mission Operations Department, the Head of the Ground Facilities Operations Division manages, operates and maintains the Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) stations of the ESA tracking station network ( ESTRACK) , ensures its integrity, and interfaces with other operational entities for the provision of non-ESA TT&C station support. The Head of Division specifies the user requirements for all ground facilities in support of missions and validates all related equipment before operational use. The Head of Division is responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of the Operations Control Centre facilities at ESOC, and for providing station and network support to other agencies and external customers as required. The Head of Division is also responsible for the operational communications and computer systems as well as the local health/safety and security at all the grounds stations of the ESTRACK network.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Enhancing Engineer and Operator Experience with Central Station Management and Control System (CSMC) Man-Machine Interface (MMI)

Objective: The main objective of this activity is to enhance the engineer and operator experience with the Central Station Management and Control (CSMC) system software at the Kiruna Station. 

Background: The CSMC is the primary software responsible for automated operations at the Kiruna Station. This software was recently migrated to Linux, but its Man-Machine Interface (MMI) still closely resembles its previous version. This activity aims to modernize and improve its usability.  

Activities: 

1. Orientation Phase:
   • Familiarise yourself with the tools necessary for modifying the CSMC software;
2. Interface Review:
   • Evaluate the existing interface and analyse the subsystems monitored and controlled by the CSMC;
3. Proposal Development:

   • Based on your analysis, propose new mimic displays and alphanumeric interfaces;

   • Engage with multiple stakeholders to achieve a balanced solution that meets their needs;

4. Implementation and Validation: 

   • Implement the approved changes;

   • Validate the changes to ensure they meet the desired outcomes;

Learning Areas:

• Technical Knowledge: Gain a comprehensive understanding of ground station components, including antenna control units and radio frequency (RF) components;
• Practical Skills: Develop hands-on experience with software interface design and improvement;
• Professional Development: Enhance your problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills through real-world application and stakeholder interaction. 

This activity offers the opportunity to work on critical software systems, providing insights of ground station operations.

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.

Experience with Linux operating system and coding is an asset 

Knowledge of JIRA, GIT or other software configuration control is an asset