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Internship - Design and commissioning of a wide-field telescope for ground station
Job Description
Req ID:  4942
Place of work:  Trauen
Starting date:  01.06.2026
Career level:  Internship
Type of employment:  Full-time
Duration of contract:  4-6 Monate

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 12,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

DLR's Responsive Space Cluster Competence Centre (RSC³) in Trauen is a unique research facility in Germany that addresses in a holistic way the topic of Responsive Space. This exciting field of research deals with the question of how to respond faster, more flexibly and securely in space with the goal of increasing the overall resilience of critical infrastructures in space. To this end, innovative concepts and technologies are analyzed, developed and demonstrated at the RSC³. 

 

What to expect 

The ground segment is concerned with space-to-ground communication and the observation of changes in space. The centrepiece of this is the optical ground station in the form of a reflector telescope at the site. Your task will be to extend the function of the ground station with a wide-field telescope and a suitable software interface. The aim is to investigate the possibility of finding lost objects from the smaller field of view of the ground station with the attached wide-field telescope. A continuation of the work as a final thesis is possible and desirable.

 

Your tasks

  • Familiarisation with ground station hardware
  • Designing the hardware and software interface of the telescope 
  • Commissioning of the sensors
  • Function test and demonstration

 

Your profile

  • Degree in a field related to aerospace (e.g., aerospace engineering, computer science, electrical engineering or a comparable degree program)
  • Interest in astro imaging and/or space domain awareness
  • Hands-on mentality
  • Basic Programming Skills

 

We offer

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

 We look forward to getting to know you!

 

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 4942) please contact:

 

Dr. Marcus Thomas Knopp 
Tel.: +49 8153 28 3720