About this role
Location ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands Our team and mission Within the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Directorate for Human and Robotic Exploration, the Exploration Science activities are a cornerstone of the Explore2040 strategy, driving innovation at the intersection of human exploration and scientific discovery. HRE-SU (Utilisation and Enabled Science) team at ESA coordinates the Agency’s research activities in physical sciences and biology under microgravity conditions and for space exploration.
Using platforms like the International Space Station, as well as Moon and Mars missions, the team supports a wide range of cutting-edge research—from Earth atmospheric studies and quantum sensors to heat transfer phenomena, soft matter, and advanced materials processing. Launched in April 2025, Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) is a flagship mission of the HRE Directorate dedicated to fundamental physics using high stability and accuracy atomic clocks in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.
At ESA-ESTEC, the ACES team supports mission operations, monitors the performance of the on-board clocks and links and contributes to data analysis. The ESA-ESTEC data analysis pipeline processes ACES microwave link (MWL) measurements and is used alongside the Paris Observatory pipeline to validate space-to-ground desynchronisation measurements.
Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int Field(s) of activity for the internship You will join the ACES team at ESA-ESTEC and support the analysis of MicroWave Link MWL measurements, which are central to the mission’s high-precision comparisons between space-based and ground-based clocks. MWL is a two-way, three-frequency system, with uplink and downlink signals in the Ku-band and a downlink signal in the S-band. It provides pseudorange measurements at all three frequencies using both code and carrier phase.
Before the desynchronisation between the space and ground clocks can be evaluated, these measurements must be corrected for signal-propagation delays, including link asymmetries, tropospheric and ionospheric delays and antenna phase patterns, as well as instrumental effects such as amplitude-to-phase conversion, temperature variations, Doppler rate and tracking-loop errors. On Earth, a network of MWL ground terminals connects some of the world’s best clocks to the space clock, including clocks operated at NIST and JPL in the United States, LTE in France, PTB and Wettzell in Germany, NPL in the United Kingdom and NICT in Japan. Desynchronisation measurements are the main data product of the ACES mission. They support tests of general relativity, searches for dark matter and differential geopotential measurements between ground clocks.
During the internship, you will contribute to the following activities: cross-check and validate corrections for signal propagation delays; improve the modelling and the calibration of instrumental effects, including amplitude-to-phase conversion, temperature variations, Doppler rate and tracking-loop errors; improve carrier cycle ambiguity resolution using code phase measurements; help improve the existing data analysis pipeline by optimising selected processes; use space-to-ground desynchronisation measurements to support ACES science in one or more of the following areas: tests of general relativity, including gravitational redshift, time variation of fundamental constants and dark-matter searches; comparison of ground clocks; clock synchronisation and time-transfer experiments; differential geopotential measurements between ground clocks.
These activities will strengthen your background in: data analysis and processing of highly stable time and frequency signals; stability and accuracy characterisation of high-performance space clocks and links; clock comparison and time transfer experiments; general relativity and alternative theories of gravitation; chronometric geodesy.
You will work in a stimulating, multicultural environment that brings together space agencies, mission operations centres, industry, scientific institutes and academia.
Behavioural competencies Result Orientation Operational Efficiency Fostering Cooperation Relationship Management Continuous Improvement Forward Thinking For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook 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 and background in orbital mechanics, time and frequency metrology, data analysis and general relativity is an asset.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace.
The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at [email protected] . Important Information and Disclaimer During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations. The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding internship conditions is correct at the time of publication.
It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. Nationality Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.