Apply for the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations Training Course

ESA Academy is once again hosting the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations Training Course from 7 to 11 September 2026. Tailored for university students exploring careers in the space sector, the course offers an engaging introduction to spacecraft operations without excessive mathematics or technical jargon.

This course introduces students to the unique challenges of spacecraft operations and highlights how operating a spacecraft differs from designing one. While launches often capture public attention, the success of a space mission depends on the teams working behind the scenes to operate and maintain spacecraft once in orbit. Spacecraft operators continuously monitor spacecraft health, maximise mission performance and data return, and respond to anomalies to ensure systems continue functioning safely and efficiently throughout the mission lifetime.

The course is suitable for BSc, MSc and PhD 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 ESA ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, the course combines formal lectures with a strong focus on student interaction. Participants will also work in operations teams and receive training from the OPS-SAT Space Lab team in preparation for a realistic mission anomaly simulation.

The way specific subsystems 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.

The course will be delivered at ESA Education Training Centre in Belgium. The students will visit ESA’s European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) and learn about its on-site activities, including Galileo and PROBA spacecraft’s operations.

Preliminary schedule

Who can apply?

To participate, students must 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 engineering or space-related topics;
• be a citizen of an ESA Member State, an ESA Associate Member, or Canada*;
• be studying for an engineering degree or physics (with basic knowledge in space technology) at Bachelor, Masters, or PhD level;
• be enrolled as a university student for the academic year 2026-2027.

Selected students will be required to attend the entire 5-day workshop. They will be sponsored by ESA to cover accommodation, 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.

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 (PDF, in Europass format, maximum 2 pages, no images);
• Upload a formal recommendation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature, no images) from a university professor or academic supervisor of 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 copy of your Transcript of Grades from the two previous semesters, or, if not available, the previous graded academic year (PDF).

All answers and documents should be in English (Transcript of Grades can be submitted in language of hosting university, if unavailable in English).

Logistics

Accommodation

• Participants will stay at Bô Rivage hotel in Neufchateau.
• 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, 6 September 2026, from 17:00 onwards. Shuttle services will be organised between 17:00 and 22:00 (CEST) from Libramont train station to the hotel.

• Departure

Either Friday, 11 September 2026 after 18:30 CEST (from Libramont train station), or Saturday, 12 September 2026 (with shuttle buses organised between 06:30 and 10:30 CEST)

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

*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 course delivery and account creation 3 weeks before the deadline). This additional support is to cover costs that are not already covered by ESA for selected Canadian post-secondary students.

The deadline for applications is 28 June 2026 23:55 CEST.

We will announce the selected students by 22 July 2026.

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