Apply for the Space Systems Engineering Training Course 2026

The experience

Space systems engineering holds immense significance within the space industry, playing a pivotal role in the success of any space mission, be it a student-crafted CubeSat or a highly complex scientific satellite. Space systems engineers take charge of the technical aspects of space projects, guiding them from inception to completion. They collaborate with diverse fields to define user needs, establish requirements, and shape the ultimate architecture and design. Additionally, they oversee the project through assembly, integration, testing, and eventual operation. These engineers, whether working at ESA or in industry, remain fundamental throughout the entire lifecycle of space systems. They ensure compliance to requirements, manage interfaces between various project disciplines, and play a critical role in delivering to fulfil the users’ needs.

During the training week, students will gain insight into the foundations and challenges of space systems engineering. They will learn about the responsibilities of systems engineers at ESA and delve deeply into the system engineering process. The course aims to provide a valuable understanding of requirements engineering, concurrent design, system-based verification and validation, and their correlations with project management aspects such as planning and risk management. Additionally, participants will engage in several group exercises designed to familiarise them with system engineering deliverables and practical challenges encountered by space systems engineers in real-world scenarios.

This iteration of the training course builds on the success of previous editions. These courses were crafted and conducted by the ESA Education Office in partnership with experienced ESA staff actively engaged as systems engineers across a spectrum of prominent ESA missions.

To enhance the learning experience, students will actively engage in a group project work throughout the week to apply their newly acquired knowledge. Upon successful completion, participants will be awarded a certificate of participation and a course transcript, enabling them to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.

Preliminary schedule

Students will be introduced to the following topics: 

Day 1	Scope and context of systems engineering How to represent a system & the space programmatic environment Tasks of a system engineer and system engineering products
Day 2	System engineering process and system requirements Requirements engineering The system design in early phases - concept of operations The design of a space mission: concurrent engineering, system options & trade-offs The system design in early phases: mission architecture and launcher selection
Day 3	The design of a space mission: budgets & margins, and mission timeline & system modes The system design in early phases: system sizing and budgets Development and verification approach (theory and exercise)
Day 4	Project, engineering & quality management: methods and tools Schedule and cost control: application to a space project Risk management
Day 5	Launch, LEOP, commissioning and operations Student presentations

Who can apply?

Eligibility criteria

To participate, students must fulfil the following eligibility criteria at the time of application: 

• Enrolled as a university student for the year 2026-2027 in a bachelor (at least 3^rd year), master (i.e., MSc or equivalent), or a doctoral (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) degree programme with a background in engineering (have a solid mathematical and physics background);
• 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 or other space-related topics;
• Be a nationalof an ESA Member State, Canada*, or Associate Member.

Sponsorship & attendance

Sponsorship

Selected students will be required to attend the entire training course at ESEC. They will be sponsored by ESA to cover accommodation and meals, as well as up to 350 Euros for travelling to Belgium.

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.

* 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.

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, no images, maximum 2 pages).
• Upload a formal recommendation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature, no images) from a university professor or an academic supervisor from your current university (if not possible to receive the recommendation letter from your reference, 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 last academic year (PDF).

All answers and documents should be in English (except Transcript of Grades if not available).  

Deadlines

Application deadline: Sunday 2 August 2026, 23:55 CEST.

Selection announcement: Monday 7 September 2026.

Before you apply

Accommodation

• Participants will stay at Mercure hotel in Han-Sur-Lesse.
• 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 Rochefort Jemelles train station on Sunday, 1 November 2026.

Departure:

• Either Friday, 6 November 2026 after 19:00 CET (from Rochefort Jemelles train station), or
• Saturday, 7 November 2026 before 11:00 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

Contact & further information

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