Our team and mission

The Missions and System Studies Section, within the Future Missions and Instruments Division of the Future Missions and Architecture Department in the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, contributes to the conception, definition and preparation of future Earth observation missions.

The Section supports the early phases of mission development through mission analysis, system engineering and architecture studies, contributing to the definition and assessment of new mission concepts, requirements and system architectures. Its activities include the evaluation of emerging technologies and innovative mission concepts, architecture trade-offs, mission performance assessment and the development of engineering methods and tools supporting future Earth observation systems.

The Section operates in a multidisciplinary environment at the intersection of Earth observation science, space systems engineering and technology innovation. Its work addresses the evolution of Earth observation towards increasingly capable and interconnected space systems, including distributed and federated architectures, advanced onboard processing, artificial intelligence and new operational concepts.

Working closely with other engineering and scientific teams, industry and external partners, the Section contributes to transforming new ideas and technologies into credible mission concepts and future Earth observation capabilities.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Knowledge-centric engineering environment for future EO missions

Space projects continue to rely heavily on document-based engineering practices. Requirements, architectural descriptions, risks, interfaces, verification activities and technical decisions are frequently distributed across multiple documents, making navigation, traceability and maintenance increasingly complex throughout the project lifecycle.

The objective of this internship is to investigate how engineering knowledge can be managed as structured and interconnected information rather than exclusively through traditional document deliverables. The work will explore the concept of a knowledge-centric engineering environment capable of promoting a single source of truth while preserving engineering governance, review processes and traceability.

Using the EOCognitiveLab mission concept as a reference case, you will:

• analyse the information flows and engineering artefacts typically produced during mission preparation and system engineering activities;
• identify and classify key engineering knowledge objects such as requirements, decisions, risks, interfaces, verification activities, stakeholders and deliverables;
• develop a lightweight engineering knowledge model describing relationships and dependencies between engineering artefacts;
• investigate how modern collaborative technologies such as SharePoint, Microsoft Lists, Power Automate, Power BI and artificial intelligence assistants can support engineering knowledge management;
• design and implement a prototype engineering knowledge portal demonstrating selected system engineering capabilities such as requirements traceability, review baselines, decision tracking and verification management;
• develop visualisation concepts allowing engineers to understand dependencies, impacts and relationships across a complex mission architecture;
• assess benefits, limitations and adoption challenges associated with knowledge-centric engineering approaches for future Earth observation programmes.

By the end of the internship, you will have gained practical experience in system engineering, digital engineering methods, collaborative platforms, knowledge management, data visualisation and Earth observation mission preparation. The results of the work are expected to support future initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency, accessibility and consistency of engineering information across complex space projects.

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.

Knowledge and background in one or more of the following areas is considered an asset:

• systems engineering and complex engineered systems;
• aerospace engineering or space systems engineering;
• information systems and knowledge management;
• computer science, software engineering or data engineering;
• business process modelling and workflow automation;
• database design and information modelling;
• web applications and collaborative platforms;
• data analytics and visualisation;
• artificial intelligence applications for engineering environments;
• Microsoft 365 technologies, including SharePoint, Microsoft Lists, Power Platform or similar environments.

Additional desirable skills include:

• ability to analyse complex processes and convert them into structured information models;
• interest in digital transformation and engineering collaboration;
• familiarity with graph-based data models and traceability concepts;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• ability to work independently while interacting with multidisciplinary teams;
• good communication and technical writing skills in English.