Apply for the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications 2027

The experience

When we talk about space missions, few people first mention communications systems, yet sending commands to a satellite and receiving data back is paramount. Given the criticality and complexity of spacecraft communications, it’s fair to argue that there would be no space missions without highly skilled communications engineers.

This training course will consist of lectures, group discussions, presentations of real cases and exercises. The lectures will be delivered by an ESA engineer of the Mission Operations Department of ESA ESOC and will include real stories of operations engineers trying to rescue spacecraft in complex situations. They will also feature discussions about the implications of the way communications systems are designed, how they are used and what problems might occur.

Objectives

Thanks to the OPS-SAT Space Lab team, students will be introduced to real operational manoeuvres. They will simulate operations and communications with their own spacecraft with hands-on exercises. After designing a communication system for a specific mission, they will be asked to see how it holds up when the mission experiences an anomaly taken from real life. They will be presented with the information available to an operations team at the time the problem occurs and will have to ask themselves "What went wrong?", and more importantly "What can we do now?”

The students will also learn about ESA’s European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) and the on-site activities in Redu, including Galileo and PROBA spacecraft operations.

By the end of the training course, the students will have a solid understanding of the challenges of communicating with a spacecraft and the subsystems involved in communications, both on-board and on the ground.

Target audience

This training course is open to Bachelor, Master (i.e., MSc or equivalent), and PhD students studying engineering.

Evaluation

At the end of the training session, students will be assessed based on their team project and will receive a certificate of participation along with a course transcript. These documents may be used to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.

Week schedule

Day 1	Introduction to the Ladybird Guide The challenge Modulation Introduction to the group project Demodulation
Day 2	Demodulation Coding Nominal simulation Protocols
Day 3	Protocols telemetry, tracking and command Transmission Simulation practice Visit of ESA ESEC-Redu
Day 4	Reception Real ground stations Wrap-Up Ladybird Guide Simulation practice Tutoring session with OPS-SAT team
Day 5	Final simulation Conclusion

Who can apply?

Eligibility criteria

To participate, students must fulfil the following eligibility 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 engineering or space-related topics;
• be a national of an ESA Member State, Canada* or Associate Member;
• be enrolled as a Bachelor, Master (i.e., MSc or equivalent) or PhD student at a university for the academic year 2026-2027 with a background in engineering.

Sponsorship & attendance

Sponsorship

Selected students will be expected to attend the entire 5-day workshop at ESEC. They will be sponsored by ESA to cover accommodation and meals, as well as up to 350 Euros for travelling to Belgium.

Canadian students

* Canadian students enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution may apply for additional support from the Canadian Space Agency through this Announcement of Opportunity (grant applications must be submitted at least 7 weeks before the event start date – create an account as soon as possible!). This additional support is to cover costs that are not already covered by ESA for selected Canadian post-secondary students. 

Diversity & inclusion statement

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.

How to apply

• Apply through ESA Learn, the ESA Education and Community Platform;
• 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 academic supervisor of the current university (if it is not possible to receive the recommendation letter from your referee, please ask them to send a recommendation email to academy.training@esa.int before the application deadline);
• Upload a Transcript of Grades from the two previous semesters, or from the previous graded academic year if not available (PDF). May be submitted in the university's language if an English version is unavailable.

All answers and documents must be in English, except the Transcript of Grades.

Important dates

Application deadline: 15 November 2026, 23:55 CET
Selection announcement: 7 December 2026
Course dates: 1-5 February 2027

Before you apply

Accommodation

• Participants will stay at Bô Rivage hotel in Neufchâteau.
• The hotel will be provided and paid for by ESA.
• Students will be assigned shared rooms with participants of the same gender.

Arrival and departure

Arrival:

• Students are expected to arrive at Libramont train station on Sunday, 31 January 2027, from 17:00 onwards. Shuttle services will be organised between 17:00 and 22:00 (CET) from Libramont train station to the hotel.

Departure:

• Either Friday, 5 February 2027 after 17:30 CET (from Libramont train station), or
• Saturday, 6 February 2027 (with shuttle buses organised between 06:30 and 10:30 CET)

Important:

• Selected students are required to attend the entire workshop from start to finish.

Transportation during the workshop

A bus service will be provided and paid for participants by ESA:

• Morning: Hotel → ESA ESEC-Galaxia
• Evening: ESA ESEC-Galaxia → Hotel