Call for applications for the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations Training Course 2022
In brief
In September 2022, ESA Academy’s Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations Training Course is returning to the ESA Education Training Centre. This 4-day training course offers university students the opportunity to learn about the fascinating world of spacecraft operations.
In-depth
To bring this fascinating world of challenges and satisfaction to life for university students contemplating a career in the space sector, ESA is organising the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations Training Course, a technical course without excessive mathematics or technical jargon, at ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility from the 20th to 23rd of September 2022.
The course will show students how ‘driving’ a spacecraft is different from designing it. When it comes to spacecraft, it is the launch itself that grabs all the headlines. Once in orbit, we only tend to hear about the satellite again when it returns a great result or a spectacular image. But spacecraft do not take care of themselves on their own.
The unsung heroes of any space mission are the people working in operations. They are the ones who work 24/7 to ensure that the spacecraft is healthy, returning the most data, and functioning at peak efficiency. In addition, these operators diagnose problems with satellites and work out how to make them function properly again.
The course is suitable for BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. students who want to quickly acquire a feeling for the broad spectrum of disciplines that are part of spacecraft operations.
Taught by an experienced engineer who works for the Operations Department of ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, the course will be delivered through formal lectures but with a heavy emphasis placed on the interaction with the students.
The way specific sub-systems of a spacecraft like Attitude, Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS), Orbit Control System (OCS), Power, On Board Data Handling (OBDH), Telemetry, Telecommunication & Control (TT&C), Thermal and On Board Software (OBS), have been designed has a bearing on the way operations are carried out, and this will be highlighted and discussed. The course will include a session on the physiological traps to be avoided during operations and testing.
Real stories of operational staff battling with wayward spacecraft – sometimes winning and sometimes losing – will be used whenever appropriate. “If you want to really understand how a spacecraft works this is the right course. It goes through all the sub-systems in a way that makes you understand the connection between everything on that spacecraft. All in all it is the perfect opportunity for anyone who is interested in working in the space industry,” said an engineering student from Romania who participated in a previous edition of the training course.
In addition to the lectures, the students will need to apply their gained knowledge during a challenging group project. The students will also visit ESA’s European space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) and learn about the on-site activities, including Galileo and PROBA spacecraft’s operations.
Preliminary schedule
| Day 1 |
Introduction - the difference between design and operations engineers Mission design and payloads Attitude Dynamic and Control Subsystems |
| Day 2 |
Orbit Control System Power Group Work |
| Day 3 |
Thermal Telemetry, Telecommunication & Command Group Work |
| Day 4 |
On Board Data Handling On Board Software Group Challenge and Summary |
Who can apply?
Students enrolled in university who fulfil the following criteria:
- 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, engineering or other space-related topics;
- be a citizen of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia;
- be enrolled as a Bachelor, Master, or PhD student in a university for the year 2022-2023; Final year students of AY 2021-2022 can apply when they do not graduate before the training course.
- be studying an engineering subject or physics (with basic knowledge in space technology).
The selected students will be sponsored by ESA. This will cover accommodation and meals as well as up to 300 Euros for travelling to Belgium.
Upon completion of the training course students will be evaluated via the group project and will receive a certificate of participation and a course 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 (PDF, Europass form, no images, maximum 2 pages);
- Upload a formal recommendation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature, no images) from a university professor or academic supervisor of 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 is the 1st of August 2022 23:59 CEST.
For more information, please contact tlp @ esa.int.
Important note
Due to the evolution of the corona virus situation in Europe, and in line with governmental instructions across Europe and with the recommendations of ESA's Director General on travel restrictions for health and safety reasons, the ESA Education Office reserves the right to cancel or change the format (online delivery) of scheduled ESA Academy training sessions.