Intern in the Quality Department - Space Debris Mitigation - 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:

• Contribute to the evolution of digital tools in Python for space debris mitigation compliance analysis
• Assess feasibility of automating monitoring of space debris environment impact of ESA fleet and projects
• Develop an informative dashboard on space debris risk profile of ESA projects
• Support work on evolution of requirements considering compliance trends, lessons learnt, and emerging sustainability initiatives
• Perform tasks related to the normal work of the Independent Safety Office

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 entire internship duration
• Languages: English (good kn…), French (good kn…)
• Key skills: Python programming, System perspective on space debris mitigation, Familiarity with ESA tools and data resources, Knowledge of space sustainability concepts

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: internship.

Working arrangements: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Hiring unit: Independent Safety Office, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Position details

Reference

1452882833

Last Verified

5 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Intern in the Quality Department - Space Debris Mitigation at ESA based in Noordwijk (Traineeship). The vacancy reference is 1452882833.

Job Requisition ID:21037

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 Independent Safety Office is responsible for providing ESA with independent safety authority in the fields of Human Spaceflight Safety, Space Debris Mitigation and Re-entry Safety, Planetary Protection and Curation, and Nuclear Power Sources Safety.

For what concerns the field of Space Debris Mitigation and Re-entry Safety, the main functions of the Independent Safety Office include:

- defining and maintaining the ESA Space Debris Mitigation Policy, requirements, technical guidance and independent safety assessment processes; - performing independent review and compliance assessment of ESA Projects with Space Debris Mitigation requirements; - processing of waivers for non-compliances with the Space Debris Mitigation requirements; - reporting on the status of implementation of Space Debris Mitigation policy for the ESA Projects; - representing ESA in different international working groups on Space Debris Mitigation.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

The amount of space debris is increasing in such a way that, if current behaviours and trends in orbit continue, crucial orbital regions may become unusable. In response to this, ESA introduced its ‘Zero Debris approach’ to significantly limit the production of debris in Earth and Lunar orbits by 2030. As a first step, ESA's Space Debris Mitigation Policy and Requirements were updated in 2023, introducing stricter mitigation measures.

As ESA’s Technical Authority on Space Debris Mitigation, the Independent Safety Office is involved in the review of the space debris mitigation strategies for all missions at ESA. Therefore, we can evaluate the adoption of the requirements and the alignment of ESA projects with the ambitious Zero Debris goals. For each review, we prepare a detailed assessment of the status of compliance and issue recommendations to the projects on how to improve the safety and sustainability of their missions. With the introduction of the ‘Zero Debris Approach’, we have modernised such compliance analysis, with four objectives:

1. highlight driving requirements for different classes of missions; 2. improve traceability of the recommendations to the missions; 3. inform policy makers on the most critical requirements that require technology developments; 4. evaluate options for the evolution of the requirements in 2030.

As an intern, you will contribute to the evolution of a suite of digital tools, in Python, to reach such objectives by leveraging the extensive dataset of reviews conducted by our team. Thanks to the database built in the previous step, you will assess the feasibility of automating the monitoring of the space debris environment impact of the ESA fleet and of ESA projects, with the objective of developing an informative dashboard on the space debris risk profile of ESA projects.

As an intern, you will also support the work on the evolution of the requirements considering:

- trends in compliance as extracted from the computational pipeline above; - lessons learnt from ESA research and development activities related to Zero Debris; - emerging interest in sustainability initiatives in lunar orbit; - initiatives on space debris mitigation on-going beyond ESA; - formulation of future scenarios incorporating technology roadmaps (e.g. ESA Vision 2040) and other technology breakthroughs.

In performing your work, you will have the occasion to acquire:

- a multi-disciplinary, system perspective on how to tackle the space debris issue; - hands-on experience in the use of ESA’s tools and data resources; - familiarity with emerging concepts in the field of space sustainability.

You will also be exposed to agile approaches for software development and involved in relevant tasks related to the normal work of the office.

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.

Familiarity and proven experience with Python is an asset.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 5 November 2026, 2 days 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 5 November 2026 (2 days ago).

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.