From system to signal at ESA’s Navigation Training Course

Day one

The training course started by laying the groundwork for understanding GNSS, which underpins things from everyday navigation and timing to space missions. Professor Oliver Montenbruck from the Technical University of Munich and former Head of the GNSS Technology and Navigation Group at the German Aerospace Center broke down the fundamentals of GNSS with the students.  

Day two

During the second day of the training course, the European Union's independent GNSS, Galileo, came into focus. Engineers from ESA, responsible for the design of the Galileo system, unpacked the complex system of services, satellites and ground stations that are needed for a world class satellite navigation system like Galileo.

Then things started to get hands-on with a design challenge led by ESA engineer Lukas Steindorf. Students stepped into the shoes of navigation experts, making decisions, balancing trade-offs and applying what they had learned to design a global satellite navigation system.

Day three

After learning how the Galileo system works, the next step was to understand how a system as complex as Galileo is deployed in orbit. Bastiaan Willemse, Head of ESA’s Galileo Satellite Management Service, walked students through the long journey of Galileo satellites, from launch to deployment to integration with the constellation orbiting more than 20 000 km above Earth.

After this, Simone Puglia, ESA Galileo System Architecture Engineer, led a workshop on requirements engineering and system modelling, showing how complexity is turned into structured systems that power everyday life.

The day ended with a session by Young Navigators, an initiative for building a global community of young professionals in GNSS. Current ESA Graduate Trainees shared how young professionals contribute to the field of navigation and highlighted the opportunities that are available for students through the Young Navigators network.

Day four

The fourth day of the course shifted gears from understanding satellite navigation signals to working with them. During hands-on sessions on GNSS signal processing, students worked directly with real data to explore how signals are acquired, tracked and transformed into positioning information. 

Day five

On the final day of the course, students had the chance to visit ESA’s European Space Security and Education Centre, exploring the ground infrastructure that supports satellite missions such as Galileo. They were also visited by Paul Verhoef, former ESA Director of Navigation, and Jörg Hahn, ESA Galileo Chief Engineer, who shared their career journeys, key lessons and advice for the next generation.  

The final day of the course also looked to the future of satellite navigation, exploring low Earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing (LEO-PNT), and navigation on the Moon with ESA’s Moonlight programme and NovaMoon demonstrator mission. 

At the end of the course, one student noted, "This training was a unique experience. Having the chance to learn directly from ESA experts and connect with people from so many different countries and backgrounds has deeply inspired and motivated me to take my next steps in the navigation field!" 

Many thanks to all the experts who shared their knowledge during the training course, including Oliver Montenbruck, Jörg Hahn, Sven Richter, Simona Circiu, Lukas Steindorf, Bastiaan Willemse, Simone Puglia, Stefan Wallner, Jose Antonio Garcia Molina, Santiago Perea Diaz, Paul Verhoef, António Santos, Maelys Beliazi, Pietro Giordano and Monica Gotta.

This year marked the fifth edition of ESA Academy's Navigation Training Course. Want to join next year? Check out the open opportunities with ESA Navigation and keep an eye open for announcements.