Intern in the Space Safety Programme - Planetary Defence Office - Bringing Lost Asteroids Back

Location

ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

Our team and mission

​​The ESA Space Safety Department takes care of all potential hazards and threats from space or in space, which can impact ​human activities, infrastructure, or related applications. The spectrum of tasks ranges from gathering the basic understanding of space hazards originating from our Sun, from human space debris, or from asteroids potentially colliding with the Earth. It also addresses basic approaches to mitigate these hazards and to implement space systems end-to-end in a sustainable and eco-compatible way. Moreover, several corner stone missions are underway to demonstrate basic methods of space weather forecasting, asteroid deflection and active space debris removal from orbit.

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​In execution of these tasks, the Space Safety Department has the following entities:

• ​Mission Implementation Division (OPS-SM);
• ​COSMIC Project Manageent Office (OPS-SC);
• ​Space Weather Office (OPS-SW);
• ​Planetary Defence Office (OPS-SP);
• ​Space Debris Office (OPS-SD);
• ​Clean Space & Circular Economy Office (OPS-SY);
• ​Frequency Management Office (OPS-SF);
• ​Programme Coordination Office (OPS-SX).

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​The Planetary Defence Office (PDO) is addressing the “…prediction and detection [of] the potential impact of a near-Earth object”. Concerning the information needs for NEO monitoring, the following are defined:

• ​knowledge of the current and future positions of all NEO objects above a given size threshold or risk level, in particular their minimum fly-by distance to the Earth and time of this event;
• ​maintain awareness of collision risks with the Earth;
• ​access to verifiable, dependable, timely data with integrity and known accuracy.

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​The top-level Office tasks are

​1. Issue NEO impact warnings and news releases.

​2. Provide direct access to data in the NEO database.

​3. Provide access to data in the NEO database available only via registration.

​4. Perform additional observations.

​5. Provide high priority information.

​6. Provide educational and outreach material.

​7. Provide user tools.

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​The PDO is structured along three vertical pillars differentiating following activity area:

• ​Observation;
• ​information provision;
• ​mitigation.

​You can see following domains of the department's expertise

• ​Ground Station Engineering;
• ​flight Dynamics and Mission Analysis;
• ​mission Operations Data Systems Engineering;
• ​navigation Support;
• ​multi-Mission Infrastructure – Ground Segment Integration and Testing.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

​Each year, thousands of asteroids are discovered, but many are observed only for a short period before becoming difficult to locate again. At the same time, large archives of astronomical observations contain many unlinked detections that may correspond to previously observed objects. Connecting these observations can improve orbital knowledge and support the recovery of poorly observed asteroids.

​In this internship, you will contribute to the development of a software tool to automatically search for asteroid identifications within existing observational databases. The project will focus on building a robust and efficient pipeline that compares known asteroid predictions against large collections of observations and highlights promising candidate matches for further analysis.

​You will contribute to the design, implementation and validation of the pipeline, using real astronomical data and modern orbit analysis techniques. The final outcome will be a prototype tool capable of running automatically and supporting daily asteroid identification activities.

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​You will have the opportunity to

• ​Develop software components for the automated processing of asteroid observation data;
• ​implement methods to search large observational databases for candidate identifications;
• ​evaluate and rank potential matches using orbital uncertainty information;
• ​validate the performance of the pipeline using historical asteroid observations;
• ​contribute to the development of an operational prototype suitable for integration into existing asteroid-monitoring activities.

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​Through this internship, you will learn

• ​How asteroid observations are used to determine and improve orbital solutions;
• ​how uncertainty in orbital predictions affects object identification;
• ​how to design and implement scalable scientific software;
• ​how to process and analyse large astronomical datasets;
• ​how to transform a scientific concept into an operational tool.

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 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.

Additional requirements

• A degree track in astronomy, astrophysics, physics, planetary science, or a related field;
• solid Python programming skills, including working with scientific libraries (numpy, pandas, astropy);
• basic familiarity with orbital mechanics / solar system dynamics;
• comfortable working with large datasets; running and interpreting simulations;
• familiarity with near-Earth object science or planetary defence concepts is an asset;
• experience with data visualisation and statistical analysis is an asset;
• ability to work independently on an open-ended research question;
• you shall have a good knowledge of a scripting/programming language (preferably Python);
• background in celestial mechanics, is a valuable asset for this role.

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 ESA.Student.Internships@esa.int .

Important Information and Disclaimer

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.

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. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).