Concurrent Engineering Challenge 2024 open for applications

Following the success of the previous editions of the Concurrent Engineering Challenge organised by ESA’s Education Office and Systems and Concurrent Engineering Section, the next edition is scheduled from 15 to 19 April 2024.

In this Concurrent Engineering Challenge you’ll apply to participate at the ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility, along with other groups of students from multiple universities, who will be participating from different Concurrent Engineering Facilities (CEF) located in  three European universities, respectively: ISAE-SUPAERO (France), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) and University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom).

Concurrent engineering is a method of designing and developing products in the space sector. Contrary to traditional design methods, in Concurrent Engineering, all subsystems are designed simultaneously, as specialists of all disciplines and subsystems collaborate in joint sessions conducted at a dedicated facility. This is a far more efficient way of designing, but it has its own challenges as well. Solutions in one area that could affect the design in another must be identified and communicated instantly. Although concurrent engineering is a more intense process to begin with, in effect it allows incompatibilities and conflicts to be identified earlier, therefore reducing the overall design time.

Through this Challenge, students complement what they are learning at university by familiarising themselves with the concurrent engineering approach and its benefits and learn how ESA assesses technical and financial feasibility of space missions. Europe’s leadership in space depends upon its ability to continue developing world-class missions. To do that, a new generation of space engineers and scientists needs to be trained.

Selected students in each CEF will be supervised by two system engineers and will be given, at the start of the Challenge, the same space mission to design within four days. Students in each group will be divided into small teams of two to four people to cover the following disciplines:

• structures
• configuration
• power
• mechanisms
• thermal
• attitude and orbit control
• propulsion
• trajectory analysis
• communications and data handling

Students within each small team will design their subsystem using the Concurrent Engineering approach with the objective of complying with the mission requirements and proving feasibility.

The four groups of university students located around Europe will not compete against each other. Instead, they will use video conferencing to share each day’s progress, discuss any difficulties they are facing, and receive helpful inputs from the other participants. At the end of the week, each group will present their final design to the three other groups.

Before the Challenge, all selected students will be offered by ESA the opportunity to participate in an online tutorial of the Concurrent Model-based Engineering Tool (CoMET) to get familiar with the tool and get ready for the Challenge!

In parallel to ESA’s selection process, the three European universities involved in the Concurrent Engineering Challenge 2024 are organising their own student selection.  

Preliminary schedule of the Challenge:

Day 1	Introduction to the Concurrent Engineering Approach Get familiar with Calculation Sheets and CoMET Presentation of each CEF Introduction to the mission Mission overview and requirements
Day 2	System requirements Mission and system modes definition First iteration of all subsystems – part 1 Each group results presentation
Day 3	First iteration of all subsystems – part 2 First budgets Finalisation of the concept Each group results presentation
Day 4	Second iteration of all subsystems Product tree Budgets Each group results presentation
Day 5	Final design consolidation & any open issues Each group final presentation

Who can apply?

In order to participate, students must fulfil the following eligibility criteria at the time of application: 

• aged minimum 18 years old. ESA Academy and relevant partners will only appraise applications from students who have no or limited professional experience in relevant engineering or space-related topics.
• be a citizen of an  ESA Member State, Canada*, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia or Slovenia.
• be enrolled as a Master (BSc completed) or PhD student in a university for the academic year 2023-2024 (not graduating before the training course).
• be studying an engineering subject or physics (with basic knowledge in space technology). 

Selected students will be required to attend the entire 5-day training course at ESEC. They will be sponsored by ESA Education to cover accommodation and meals, as well as up to 300 Euros for travelling to Belgium.

Students participating in the Challenge from ESA Academy's Training and Learning Facility will be evaluated based on their group work throughout the week and the final results presentation. Upon completion of the Challenge, they will receive a certificate of participation as well as a transcript, allowing them to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.

How to apply?

• Fill in the application form;
• Upload a motivation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, no images);
• Upload a CV (Europass format, PDF, maximum 2 pages);
• Upload a formal recommendation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature, no images) from a university professor or an academic supervisor from your current university (if not possible to receive the recommendation letter from your reference, please ask them to send a recommendation email to tlp@esa.int before the application deadline);
• Upload a copy of academic records (PDF);

All answers and documents should be in English (except academic records if not available).

The deadline for applications to participate in the Concurrent Engineering Challenge 2024 from ESA Academy’s CDF is 12 February 2024, 23:59 CET.

For more information, please contact tlp@esa.int.