Career Launch

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WORKING IN THE SPACE SECTOR

Most of the career opportunities in the space sector (industry, research, administration) are driven by the requirements of the large space agencies such as ESA and NASA.

However, many possibilities exist in the multitude of sectors with links to space science, industry and business. Keep tabs on our front page for new information on research and careers, as well as the miscellaneous job postings.

Working for the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) job opportunity web site may be browsed on the ESA Careers page and contains an exhaustive list of job opportunities which may be classified in three main categories.

YGT (Young graduate trainee): ESA's Young Graduate Trainee (YGT) programme offers recently graduated men and women, a one-year non-renewable training contract designed to give valuable work experience and to prepare for future employment in the space industry and/or research. This is particularly suited for young engineers who have just earned their Master degree. Competition is very tough since 70 candidates were selected in early 2005 out of 2000+ applications. The selection rounds usually take place yearly during the last quarter of each year (October-November).

Research fellow: ESA's postdoctoral research fellowship programmes aim to offer young scientists and engineers who have earned a Ph.D. degree the possibility of carrying out research in a variety of disciplines related to space science, space applications or space technology.

Staff: All vacancy notices to become a staff member contain the job description, required qualifications, the closing date and the reference number. ESA usually requires a few years of industrial experience after earning a Master or a Ph.D. degree.

The Space Center EPFL organised on 22 April 2005 a workshop to promote space careers at ESA. The event, which was particularly geared for last-year students, PhD candidates, and researchers, hosted more than 200 participants. Approximately 20% of the participants came from other Swiss universities, technical engineering schools and research centres.

How to become an astronaut

Who has never dreamt of becoming astronaut? Several space agencies provide detailed information on that very frequently asked question. Please refer to the following links:

ESA FAQ

ESA formal requirements

NASA

If you still have questions, you can always contact Professor Claude Nicollier at EPFL who has flown four times in the NASA Shuttle during the nineties.

Working for the space industries

Please consult the Swiss Space Industries page, with information on major enterprises working in the space sector.

Space agencies

Shown below is a list of the major space agencies with their associated links

USA NASA	http://nasa.gov
Japan JAXA	http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html
Russia	http://www.rosaviakosmos.ru/
France CNES	http://www.cnes.fr/html/_.php
Germany DLR	http://www.dlr.de/
United Kingdom	http://www.bnsc.gov.uk/
Italy ASI	http://www.asi.it/
Switzerland SSO	http://www.sbf.admin.ch/htm/international/space/space_affairs-e.html

Other sources of information

A few websites contain detailed lists of the job opportunities in the space sector:

Space careers

Opportunity in Earth observation

Space career openings are also advertised from times to times in:

Telejob

L'Emploi