Our team and mission

Intern in LEO-PNT Signal Engineering & RF Compatibility, within the LEO-PNT Payload, Signal and Frequencies Team, Celeste Programme, Projects Department, Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.

Celeste is the Component 1 LEO-PNT within the FutureNAV programme. It represents the ESA contribution towards establishing a European Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) capability as part of a multilayer system-of-systems PNT architecture. The component aims to complement existing GNSS services by leveraging a constellation of LEO satellites to deliver enhanced resilience, improved accuracy and innovative features for emerging applications.

The LEO-PNT Payload, Signal and Frequency Team is responsible for all aspects related to the satellite payload and associated technology building blocks, signal-in-space engineering, as well as frequency management within the following LEO-PNT activities managed by ESA:

• the implementation of the Component 1 of the FutureNAV programme, including:
  • the Celeste In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) phase, through an end-to-end system showcasing the feasibility and benefits of using low Earth orbits, novel signals and frequency bands;
  • the Celeste In-Orbit Preparatory (IOP) phase, to prepare for a future LEO-PNT operational system for the European Union and to unlock potential global commercial opportunities.
• the preparation of the future operational phase of the EU LEO-PNT system.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Signal Engineering & Radio-Frequency Compatibility of LEO-PNT Systems

The growing interest in Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) systems creates new challenges in terms of radio-frequency (RF) spectrum usage and compatibility with existing GNSS/RNSS services.

As an intern, you will have the following tasks:

• contributing to the analysis of the RF compatibility of potential LEO-PNT signals;
• characterising, under the guidance of experienced engineers, navigation signals in the frequency domain; assessing potential interference mechanisms and evaluating the impact of system parameters such as signal bandwidth, power, spectral shaping, antenna patterns and orbital geometry;
• developing and using simulation tools in MATLAB and/or Python to generate and analyse signals, calculate spectral and interference metrics and investigate compatibility scenarios.

By the end of the internship, you will have gained hands-on experience in satellite navigation signal design, RF interference and compatibility analysis, numerical modelling and engineering assessment, while developing the ability to independently formulate and investigate technical questions relevant to future LEO-PNT systems.

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.

• good understanding of GNSS fundamentals, digital communications and signal processing, including modulation schemes, signal spectra, Doppler effects, correlation and receiver acquisition/tracking concepts;
• basic knowledge of RF systems, antennas, propagation and link budgets;
• experience with MATLAB and/or Python for signal generation, spectral analysis and numerical simulations; ability to analyse PSDs, interference levels and receiver-performance impacts is desirable.