Our team and mission

As part of the Future NAV Department within the Navigation Directorate, we lead the coordination of all Position, Navigation, and Timing contributions in the context of future lunar and Mars exploration. This is currently implemented through various programs: Lunar Pathfinder satellite (which includes a GNSS demonstration payload), Moonlight Programme (which involves the development of a GNSS-like lunar constellation in addition to communication services), and the planned future Marconi Mars-dedicated communication and navigation system (currently under assessment).
To support the ESA internal capability in the follow-on of these activities, we have created an ESA-internal R&D Team fully dedicated to lunar and Martian navigation system engineering and performance analysis. This includes the development of specialized advanced exploration simulation models and tools, all done in close collaboration with the ESA Technical Directorate.
The selected candidate will then join this internal R&D group contributing to the analysis of on-going program activities and the development of future advanced PNT concepts for planetary exploration.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

Moon exploration is emerging as the next global strategic priority in space exploration with highly ambitious government and commercial missions over the coming decades for a permanent return of mankind to the Moon.
All these missions will require navigation, which calls for the development of dedicated lunar navigation infrastructures and capabilities for autonomous navigation, for which ESA is currently dedicating a major effort.
As a first step to showcase autonomous navigation capabilities at lunar altitudes, the Lunar Pathfinder mission (scheduled to be launched in 2025) embarks a high sensitivity GNSS receiver (called Navimoon) that will demonstrate autonomous GPS/Galileo positioning in lunar orbit. Furthermore, ESA, through the Moonlight initiative, aims at developing a dedicated Lunar Communication and Navigation Service (LCNS) infrastructure, offering communication and navigation services to lunar users. Moonlight/LCNS constellation will initially focus on the South pole using satellites in so called Elliptical Lunar Frozen Orbits (ELFO) which maximizes the availability in the South pole region. In parallel, ESA is investigating whether the next generation of Martian communication satellites could be equipped with a navigation payload to offer a GNSS like signal to Martian users.

The proposed YGT position will contribute to this technical landscape, in particular aiming at investigating PNT capabilities for planetary exploration. The candidate can express interest for and will be involved in one of the following areas belonging to the same training opportunity:

• Radio navigation performance of multiple alternative space-based systems to serve lunar missions.
• Radio navigation performance of multiple alternative space-based systems to serve Mars missions
• Algorithms for planetary surface and orbital user equipment and applications using sensor fusion and filtering techniques
• Field testing with user PNT data in realistic planetary exploration scenarios
• Performance analysis of local differential Moon systems based on augmentations of the lunar planned constellations
• Laboratory testbed for proof of concepts of some Lunar PNT features

The above activities may involve pure R&D as well as hands-on activities such as developments and testing of both commercial equipment and of innovative solutions (e.g. testing through laboratory and field campaigns involving for instance multi-GNSS user technologies as well as inertial and visual odometry techniques and their combination).

The selected candidate will closely work with other engineers in the Technical Directorate providing support to the Navigation Directorate at the ESTEC ESA Establishment.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

You should have just completed or be in the final year of your Master’s degree in in a technical or scientific discipline.

Additional requirements

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.
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.
During the interview motivation and overall professional perspective/career goals will also be explored.