Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) in Future Spacecraft Simulation Technologies

Job Requisition ID: 18888

Application Deadline: 9 October 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Establishment: ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Directorate: Directorate of Operations

Publication: External Only

Type of Contract: Internal Research Fellow

Date Posted: 18 September 2024

Internal Research Fellowship Opportunity in the Directorate of Operations.

ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. For this purpose, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

This post is classified F2 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale.

Location
ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Our team and mission
You will be based in the Ground Segment Multi-Mission Preparation Systems Section, System and Applications Engineering Division, Ground Systems Engineering & Innovation Department.

The System and Applications Engineering Division is responsible for software systems used during the preparation and the operational phases of most ESA space missions including:

mission control systems (to monitor and operate the satellite); mission planning systems and mission automation systems; spacecraft simulators used for testing, validation and training, and service provision data centres.

The missions supported include the ESA Earth Explorer, science, planetary and exploration missions, as well as most of the EU Copernicus missions.

The Division is also very active in software innovation, conducting research and development studies on software technologies applied to space missions, with a focus on the systems listed above. This includes for example standardisation of interfaces with other space agencies, such as NASA, JAXA, CNES and DLR, cubesats, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, model-based system engineering, security and artificial Intelligence, as well as software technologies such as service oriented architecture, web technology, advanced human-machine interfaces and cloud computing.

You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: https://www.esa.int/

www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC

https://download.esa.int/esoc/esa_ESOC_BR_web_2015.pdf

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
A key sub-system in spacecraft is the on-board software, whose role is to monitor and control the system in flight and handle communication with the ground.

For each mission, the Agency uses a high-fidelity simulator for testing, training and validation activities to ensure that all operational tasks can be tested in a realistic scenario before being executed on the actual satellite. Given the impact of the on-board software on the behaviour and the responses of the spacecraft, the simulator uses the actual on-board software image, executed by a CPU emulator which runs the image. The Agency is currently investigating the enhancement of the traditional simulator with Digital Twin technology, such that the simulator becomes highly representative of the current state through the use of live telemetry. This is expected to present significant opportunities in the areas of error detection, anomaly investigation and mission planning, among others.

To date, it has been possible to execute simulations in real time, at a mininum, thanks to the significant difference in the performance of space-qualified CPUs versus high-performance, server-class CPUs available on the ground.

As space systems rapidly become more performant, this gap is closing. It is expected that real-time performance will not be feasible for the next generation of space qualified CPUs, such as LEON5, with currently available emulation techniques. Traditionally, considerations of cost, feasibility, and benefit have meant that simulators have not been developed for the relevant missions, partly due to difficulties in on-board software emulation.

As a research fellow, you will focus on addressing the issues associated with providing a future simulation platform capable of executing more rapidly than in real-time for ESA/ESOC use cases. This includes, but is not limited to:

• investigating approaches for accelerating existing emulation;
• assessing new emulation technology and tooling;
• assessing alternatives to emulation, including identification of pros, cons and trade-offs, for example
  • limitations and benefits of approaches for the cross-compilation of the on-board software for direct execution;
  • usage of Hardware-in the-Loop solutions;
  • limitations and benefits of the use of Digital Twin approaches for spacecraft on-board software;
• coordinating with other ongoing initiatives in the Agency relating to the topic, for example RATIOSIM;
• coordinating with all stakeholders including flight control teams and simulation officers.

You may focus on a selected subset of the items listed above depending on your interests and background.

Your day-to-day activities span a wide spectrum, from stand-alone research, supervision of student trainees completing internships, master theses and potentially PhDs, lab activities, supervision of industrial research contracts and the development of proof-of-concept software to contributions to the Agency's R&D/investment roadmaps.

Technical competencies
Knowledge relevant to the field of research

Research/publication record

Ability to conduct research autonomously

Breadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activities

Ability to gather and share relevant information

General interest in space and space research

Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education
You should have recently completed, or be close to completion of a PhD in a relevant technical or scientific discipline. Preference will be given to applications submitted by candidates within five years of receiving their PhD.

Additional requirements
You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

During the interview, your motivation and overall professional perspective and career goals will be explored.

Other information
For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework.

For further information on the Internal Research Fellowship Programme please visit: Internal Research Fellowship

Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations.

The Agency may require applicants to undergo selection tests.

In addition to your CV and your motivation letter, please add your proposal of no more than 5 pages outlining your proposed research in the "additional documents" field of the "application information" section.

At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us at [email protected].

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Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus as European Cooperating States (ECS).

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to candidates from under-represented Member States*.

In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

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