Space Surveillance and Tracking Traineeship

The trainee will be expected to carry out under supervision the following duties depending on the assigned area/profile:

(A) Space Surveillance and Tracking (service provision)

• Contribute to the development of SST service provision tools and processing algorithms, e.g. visualisation, reference frame transformations, orbit determination, propagation, collision avoidance;
• Support the SST operational activities, e.g. in terms of user’s interaction, support;
• Support the preparation and review of technical documentation and the interface with stakeholders.

(B) Space Surveillance and Tracking (reporting and monitoring)

• Contribute to the development of SST reporting and monitoring activities, e.g. in terms of development of pipelines for data processing, quality, integrity automatization of processes;
• Support the preparation and review of technical documentation and the interface with stakeholders.

(C) Space Policy and Sustainability

• Support the monitoring of space policy related developments in the European and international schemes, e.g. documents review, information collection, compilation and presentation;
• Contribute to the development of activities on space safety and sustainability issues, focused on regulatory and legislative matters, e.g. registration, life-cycle assessment, compliance, standards;
• Provide administrative support, e.g. document management, organising meetings.

Candidates are invited to indicate their preference (of area of work) in the motivation letter.

Eligibility Criteria

The traineeship is open to applicants who have not previously undertaken a regular (paid) traineeship at EUSPA and who meet the following requirements:

1. Have a nationality of any Member State of the European Union, Iceland or Norway;
2. A recognised higher education degree (university education or equivalent), evidencing completion of a full cycle of study, or in the case of candidates who are at the end of their studies, an official certification confirming that students are currently in their final year of academic studies;
3. Have interest or knowledge about one or more areas of work of the Agency obtained during their studies/research projects/traineeships or through previous professional experience;
4. Possess a thorough knowledge of one official language of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union; one of these languages must be the working language of the Agency (English);
5. Have a clean criminal record.

Selection Criteria

The applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

For the profile (A) Space Surveillance and Tracking (service provision):

1. Education or work experience in the area of engineering, preferably related with space;
2. Knowledge in programming and scripting languages (e.g. python, Java) and software development best practices;
3. Knowledge in orbital mechanics and flight dynamics tools and libraries (e.g. Orekit, GMAT) and experience in orbital mechanics programming is desirable/considered an asset;

For the profile (B) Space Surveillance and Tracking (reporting and monitoring):

1. Education or work experience in the area of engineering or computer science;
2. Knowledge in programming and scripting languages and software development best practices, experience in Python is desirable/considered an asset;
3. Knowledge of Application Programming Interfaces (API) and workflow management tools;
4. Knowledge in big data management/analysis and best practices for validation and verification;

For the profile (C) Space Policy and Sustainability:

1. Education or work experience in the area of legal and/or space policy matters;
2. Education or knowledge in sustainability issues applicable to space;

Additional to the specific criteria per profile, all candidates will also be evaluated against the following criteria:

1. Problem-solving;
2. Prioritising and organising;
3. Effective communication skills, including the ability to summarise information;
4. Transversal collaboration and working in teams;
5. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;
6. Motivation for the post.

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services, advances the commercialization of Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), and Copernicus data and services, engages in secure SATCOM (GOVSATCOM & IRIS2), and operates the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk. Through these projects, EUSPA enhances European autonomy in space technologies, fosters innovation and creativity, supports European transport net and agriculture, all while contributing to the economic growth and health of the European Union.

EUSPA offers a diverse multicultural workplace that welcomes all applicants without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, ethnic or social origin, nationality, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, birth, gender identity, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or other family situation. EUSPA wishes to employ competent talents and be representative of the diversity of the EU citizens and is committed to provide the best working conditions and benefits to its staff. For more information on the EUSPA and the EU Space Programme, click here.

The SST Front Desk, located at the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre in Spain (GSMC-ES), is the main interface to deliver SST information and services (e.g. collision avoidance, re-entry and fragmentation) to the SST users’ community, through the so-called SST Portal. It has an operational team that supports users of these services, including spacecraft owners and operators, EU institutions and EU Member States, among others. The Front Desk also performs activities related to user coordination and engagement, service performance, and communication.

This traineeship offers insight into the SST activities and aims to contribute to (A) the development and testing of service provision tools, while also supporting some of the team operational activities or (B) the development of SST reporting and monitoring activities. Based on the candidate’s profile and preference, the traineeship can also focus on (C) assessing European and international frameworks for space safety and sustainability activities, while contributing to development of overall regulatory schemes.

The position requires relocation to Madrid, an international city with several things to offer: breath-taking art, complex culture, exquisite food, and rich history. The capital of Spain has excellent connections to the rest of the country, as well as to the rest of the world, and is famous for its vibrant nightlife and welcoming people. 

It shall be noted that the GSMC-ES is located in La Marañosa, near San Martín de la Vega, and may not be easily reached by public transportation. Driving license and own car are recommended.