Intern in the Flight Dynamics Division - Science Mission Support Section - European Space Agency (Darmstadt)

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:

• Retrieve and extract relevant interplanetary plasma data from ESA Space Weather products
• Implement functionality to compute total plasma content along the line-of-sight from ground station to an ESA interplanetary spacecraft
• Derive plasma delays for Doppler and range data based on the physical interaction along the signal path
• Apply the mechanism on historic data trying to reproduce and verify the methodology
• Produce predictions of plasma effects on radiometric data based on current Space Weather data
• Configure a near-realtime nowcasting functionality to flag current tracking data of deep-space missions
• If successful, extend the method to an operational tool for orbit determination to compute interplanetary plasma corrections

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, with proof of enrollment for the entire duration of the internship
• Languages: English, French
• Key skills: Astrodynamics software knowledge, Data retrieval and extraction, Plasma physics understanding, Orbit determination
• Eligibility: Must be enrolled at university for the entire duration of the internship

Contract and working arrangements

Working arrangements: On-site, ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany.

Hiring unit: Science Mission Support Section, Flight Dynamics Division.

Position details

Reference

1452809733

Last Verified

12 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Intern in the Flight Dynamics Division - Science Mission Support Section at ESA based in Darmstadt (Traineeship). The vacancy reference is 1452809733.

Job Requisition ID:21146

Date Posted:1 November 2026

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

Publication Method:External Only

Location ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Our team and mission

The Science Mission Support Section is responsible for:

- Mission preparation, LEOP (Launch and Early Orbit Phase), critical and routine operations in the field of flight dynamics for future interplanetary and Lagrange missions, including Plato, Rosalind Franklin, Ramses, Comet Interceptor, Ariel, Envision, Argonaut and LISA; - critical and routine flight dynamics operations for inner solar system missions Bepi-Colombo and Solar-Orbiter; - critical and routine flight dynamics operations for Juice, the Jupiter moons mission; - critical and routine flight dynamics operations for the Hera asteroid mission; - routine operations for Mars missions ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express; - routine operations for the Euclid observatory mission; - development, validation and utilisation of operational solutions for the above science missions.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

​Tracking of interplanetary spacecraft suffer from plasma effects along the signal’s line of sight. The effect is larger the closer the signal gets to the Sun. There has been a significant evolution in the recent decade by ESA and other external entities to model the interplanetary plasma distribution in quasi real-time based on data from space weather observatories.

You will exploit this data and verify whether these can be suitably used to improve deep-space orbit determination of ESA spacecraft. The following will be your tasks for this activity:

- ​Retrieve and extract relevant interplanetary plasma data from ESA Space Weather products; - ​implement functionality to compute total plasma content along the line-of-sight from ground station to an ESA interplanetary spacecraft, making use of in-house astrodynamics software; - ​derive plasma delays for Doppler and range data based on the physical interaction along the signal path; - ​apply the mechanism on historic data trying to reproduce and verify the methodology; - ​produce predictions of plasma effects on radiometric data based on current Space Weather data; - ​configure a near-realtime nowcasting functionality to flag current tracking data of deep-space missions for impact of interplanetary plasma effects in the routine orbit determination; - ​if the method is proven to be successful, extend it to an operational tool for orbit determination to compute interplanetary plasma corrections. ​

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.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 12 November 2026, today.

The application deadline is 30 November 2026, 16 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 12 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 Darmstadt see our Darmstadt 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.