92448: Engineer aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering or similar (f/m/x) - Automated relative navigation for rendezvous

Area of research:

Scientific / postdoctoral posts,Sonstiges

Job description:

The Space Flight Technology department supports the satellite and sounding rocket missions operated by the German Space Operations Center (GSOC). The department provides the necessary flight dynamics services and also conducts pioneering research and development activities for the operation of space missions. This includes work in the areas of GNSS-based navigation of satellites, sounding rockets and launch vehicles, on-orbit servicing (OOS), space situational awareness (SSA) and on-board real-time evaluation of payload and sensor data.

The On-Orbit Servicing and Autonomy team develops Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) systems for autonomous rendezvous, which are required for orbital servicing or active debris removal missions. The group develops flight software for automated optical relative navigation and operates a robotic hardware-in-the-loop test facility, the European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0.

Support us in our research on the rendezvous flight software for a sustainable orbit. Develop concepts and methods for autonomous relative navigation and test them in an end-to-end simulation environment that is unique in Europe. Join our team and use the opportunity to work with modern development methods in space technology research (code reviews, continuous integration, agile project management, etc.).

As part of our team you will be responsible for the following tasks:

Scientific studies on automated relative navigation in the far-range area for on-orbit servicing missions:

• development of technical concepts and algorithms for the evaluation of sensor data and on-board maneuver planning for rendezvous navigation
• implementation and test of these methods under real-time conditions
• scientific evaluation and analysis of the test results
• development of software for a rendezvous console for monitoring and commanding the Rendezvous Guidance, Navigation & Control system (RvGNC)
• participation in studies

Scientific work for the operation and development of the European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0

• optimization and operation of the EPOS test facility for simulating rendezvous processes
• extension of the facility control system for the realistic simulation of transitions between far-range and close-range rendezvous processes
• coordination, development and execution of tests with external partners and with partners from joint research projects
• analysis and development of concepts and software systems for innovative sensor tests and tests of RvGNC systems

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.