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Group picture of students taken at ESEC-Galaxia during the Space Systems Engineering Training Course.
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Space Systems Engineering Training Course now open for student applications

04/12/2024 4638 views 17 likes
ESA / Education / ESA Academy

In brief

To help prepare the next generation of Space Systems Engineers, the ESA Education Office is looking for 30 motivated and enthusiastic university students to participate in the next Space Systems Engineering Training Course, to be held from 6 to 9 May 2025 in the ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility (TLF) at ESA’s ESEC-Galaxia, Belgium.  

In-depth

Expert lecture on Scope and Context of Space Systems Engineering during the Space Systems Engineering Training Course.
Expert lecture on Scope and Context of Space Systems Engineering during the Space Systems Engineering Training Course.

Space Systems Engineering holds immense significance within the space industry, playing a pivotal role in the success of any space mission, be it a student-crafted CubeSat or a highly complex scientific satellite. Space Systems Engineers take charge of the technical aspects of space projects, guiding them from inception to completion. They collaborate with diverse fields to define user needs, establish requirements, and shape the ultimate architecture and design. Additionally, they oversee the project through assembly, integration, testing, and eventual operation. These engineers, whether working at ESA or in industry, remain fundamental throughout the entire life cycle of space systems. They ensure compliance to requirements, manage interfaces between various project disciplines, and play a critical role in delivering to fulfil the user’s needs. 

Over the span of four days, students in attendance will gain insight into the foundations and hurdles of Space Systems Engineering. They will learn about the responsibilities of Systems Engineers at ESA and delve deeply into the System Engineering process. The course aims to provide valuable understanding of Requirements Engineering, Concurrent Design, system-based Verification and Validation, and their correlations with project management aspects such as planning and risk management. Additionally, participants will engage in several group exercises designed to familiarise them with system engineering deliverables and practical challenges encountered by space systems engineers in real-world scenarios.  

This iteration of the training course builds on the success of previous editions. These courses were crafted and conducted by the ESA Education Office in partnership with experienced ESA staff actively engaged as Systems Engineers across a spectrum of prominent ESA missions.  

Students will be introduced to the following topics:  

Day 1  Scope and context of systems engineering
How to represent a system & the space programmatic environment
Tasks of a system engineer and system engineering products 
Day 2  Satcom system engineering process and system requirements 
Requirements engineering: to Mars and back
The system design in early phases: mission to Mars - concept of operations
The design of a space mission: concurrent engineering, and system options & trade-offs
The system design in early phases: mission architecture and
Launcher selection 
Day 3  The design of a space mission:  budgets & margins, and mission timeline & system modes
The system design in early phases: system sizing and budgets
Development and verification approach (theory and exercise)
Project, engineering & quality management: methods and tools 
Day 4  Schedule and cost control: application to a space project
Risk management
Launch, LEOP, commissioning and operations 

Who can apply?

To participate, students must fulfil the following eligibility criteria at the time of application:  

  • Enrolled as a university student for the year 2024-2025 in a bachelor (at least 3rd year), master (i.e., MSc or equivalent), or a doctoral (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) degree programme with a background in engineering (have a solid mathematical and physics background).  
  • 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 scientific or other space-related topics. 
Students performing an exercise on Risk Management during the Space Systems Engineering Training Course.
Students performing an exercise on Risk Management during the Space Systems Engineering Training Course.

Selected students will be required to attend the entire 4-day training course at ESEC. They will be sponsored by ESA to cover accommodation and meals, as well as up to 350 Euros for travelling to Belgium. 

ESA is committed to achieving diversity and creating an inclusive professional environment. To this end, we welcome proposals and applications from all eligible candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability, or other characteristics. The ESA Academy strongly encourages inclusiveness within its programmes and within participating teams, which contributes to the enrichment of our programme.   

 Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support, either digitally or at the location of the training. In case of any questions or specific needs, please reach out to academy.training@esa.int to get assistance or advice during the application process.  

To enhance the learning experience, students will actively engage in a group project work throughout the week to apply their newly acquired knowledge. Upon successful completion, participants will be awarded a certificate of participation and a course transcript, enabling 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, no images, 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 academy.training@esa.int before the application deadline). 
  • Upload a copy of your Transcript of Grades from the two previous semesters, or, if not available, the previous academic year (PDF). 

All answers and documents should be in English (except Transcript of Grades if not available).  The deadline for both the application and recommendation submissions is 4 February 2025, 23:59 CET. The selection announcement is on 25 February 2025

*Canadian students enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution may apply for additional support from the Canadian Space Agency through this Announcement of Opportunity. This additional support is to cover costs that are not already covered by ESA for selected Canadian post-secondary students. 

For more information, please contact: academy.training@esa.int