Intern in the Mechanical Department - Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation 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:

• Learn about lunar materials and environment
• Learn about lunar soil simulants and variations to actual lunar soil
• Learn about existing processes in In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU)
• Develop a comprehensive procedure to sinter lunar soil and lunar soil simulant
• Characterise lunar soil simulant before and after sintering by SEM/EDX, XRD, XRF, X-Ray Tomography
• Support electrochemical experiments extracting oxygen from sintered lunar soil simulants
• Be immersed in the ESA environment including space mission preparation and experimentation

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
• Languages: English, French
• Key skills: Knowledge of Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Internship.

Working arrangements: On-site at ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Hiring unit: Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section, Optics, Robotics and Life Sciences Division, Technology, En….

Position details

Reference

1452884333

Last Verified

6 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Intern in the Mechanical Department - Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section at ESA based in Noordwijk (Traineeship). The vacancy reference is 1452884333.

Job Requisition ID:21044

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 Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section is part of the Optics, Robotics and Life Sciences Division. Our team works in the area of life support technologies for Human spaceflight, In Situ Resource Utilisation, planetary protection and small payload development for planetary missions, like the Moon and Mars. We do technology development for future missions and support flight projects under implementation as well. In this context we work on In Situ Resource Utilisation processes, with a focus on molten salt electrolysis.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Currently, experiments on oxygen production using molten salt electrolysis are being performed in the ESTEC laboratories. These experiments will reduce the samples to extract the oxygen and turn the samples into metallic powders, potentially suitable for additive manufacturing. Although these electrochemical experiments can use powder material, a sintered block is preferred. The whole process poses many challenges in terms of material and electrolyte stability, process efficiency and yield, sintering process parameters and optimisation.

In this internship, you are expected to:

- learn about the lunar materials and environment; - learn about the lunar soil simulants and variations to actual lunar soil; - learn about existing processes in the field of In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU); - develop a comprehensive procedure to sinter lunar soil and lunar soil simulant; - characterise lunar soil simulant before and after sintering by SEM/EDX, XRD, XRF, X-Ray Tomography; - support the electrochemical experiments extracting the oxygen from the sintered lunar soil simulants.

You will also be immersed in the ESA environment which includes space mission preparation and experimentation.

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 of Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering. Experience with molten salt electrolysis and high-temperature materials is an asset.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 6 November 2026, 1 day ago.

The application deadline is 30 November 2026, 21 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 6 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.