Intern in the Electrical Department - AOCS and Pointing Architecture Section - European Space Agency (Noordwijk)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Develop an AOCS & pointing performance assessment tool and its time-domain simulator with a robust tuning pipeline
• Model and document main performance drivers with focus on gyroless architectures and Star Tracker accommodation
• Consolidate controller tuning optimisation with robust control synthesis & analysis
• Consolidate architecture trade-off capacities by performing and documenting systematic performance evaluations
• Consolidate early micro-vibrations impact assessment with improved Reaction Wheel disturbance spectrum
• Consolidate verification & validation of the tool & simulator with built-in verification tests
• Consolidate tool & simulator documentation, including user manual and hands-on training

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: University student, preferably in final or second-to-last year of Master's level course; must be able to prove enrollment for entire duration of internship
• Languages: English, French
• Key skills: Sensors, actuators and dynamics modelling, Robust control and performance, Matlab/Simulink, Python

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Internship.

Working arrangements: On-site.

Hiring unit: Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) & Pointing Architecture Section, Technology, Engineering and Quality Directora….

Position details

Reference

1452879733

Last Verified

2 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Intern in the Electrical Department - AOCS and Pointing Architecture Section at ESA based in Noordwijk (Traineeship). The vacancy reference is 1452879733.

Job Requisition ID:21021

Date Posted:1 November 2026

Closing Date:30 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method:External Only

Directorate:Technology, Engineering and Quality

Location ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Our team and mission

The Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) & Pointing Architecture Section provides functional support to ESA projects in the technical field of AOCS & pointing systems for ESA missions on the following applicative directorates: Earth Observation, Science, Resilience, Navigation & Connectivity.

The AOCS & Pointing Architecture Section carries out technological research, harmonisation and standardisation in the field of AOCS and Pointing systems, with a focus on subsystem competitiveness, and innovation for performance, robustness and process improvements.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

As an intern in the AOCS & Pointing Architecture Section, you will develop an AOCS & pointing performance assessment tool and its time-domain simulator with a robust tuning pipeline to enable early mission feasibility assessment and architecture trade-offs.

The objectives are:

- to model and document the main performance drivers with focus on gyroless architectures and Star Tracker accommodation (including fusion of non-orthogonal Star tracker Optical Heads, dynamic-stellar estimator, and tachometer-stellar estimator); - to consolidate the controller tuning optimisation (already implemented in the tool) with robust control synthesis & analysis for further optimised performance, with a generic design & tuning pipeline and the documentation of the process (including of the comparison with respect to the initial optimised tuning); - to consolidate the architecture trade-off capacities (already implemented in the tool) by performing and documenting systematic performance evaluations over sets of Hardware suites (sensors and actuators) for architecture trade-offs, for different missions; - to consolidate the early micro-vibrations impact assessment (already implemented in the tool) with improved Reaction Wheel disturbance spectrum (waterfall plots catalogue) & high frequency dynamics envelope and the documentation of the models & process (how to set the dynamics envelope without a full satellite Finite Element Model); - to consolidate the verification & validation of the tool & simulator with built-in verification tests and documentation; - to consolidate the tool & simulator documentation, with a user manual & hands-on training (setting of the tool, configuration for a new satellite mission, running early performance assessment and performing architecture trade-offs, controller optimised tuning, and running consolidated performance assessment with further improved robust tuning).

This updated version of our tool will be used for early definition of future Earth Observation and Science missions during the internship.

Behavioural competencies

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 the following fields is an asset:

- sensors, actuators and dynamics modelling; - robust control and performance; - Matlab/Simulink and Python.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 2 November 2026, today.

The application deadline is 30 November 2026, 26 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 2 November 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Noordwijk see our Noordwijk location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.