EUMETSAT is offering a three-month internship in Darmstadt, Germany, for a student in computer science or spacecraft engineering to work on integrating advanced 3D visualization engines into the SIMULUS satellite simulator framework. The role sits within the Satellite System Ground Segments Division, is open to nationals of EUMETSAT's 30 member states, and comes with a daily allowance of €25 per day plus contributions to relocation and accommodation costs. Youth Works Hub reviewed this opportunity and selected it for its combination of specialized technical depth and direct involvement in real operational satellite systems.
What is SIMULUS? The Satellite Simulator Framework Behind This Internship
SIMULUS is a framework for the development of satellite simulators (SATSIM). Originally developed at the European Space Agency, it was designed to streamline and accelerate the development of Satellite Operational Simulators: tools used to train the Flight Control Teams (FCTs) that operate actual spacecraft in orbit.
At EUMETSAT, SIMULUS is operated by its Flight Control Teams and maintained by the Monitoring & Control Applications and Tools Competence Area (MCAT), which is part of the Satellite Ground Segments Division. Currently, satellite simulators display information through hierarchical tree views, tables and plots. The internship exists to explore and prototype a step change: replacing or supplementing these displays with real-time, interactive 3D visualizations that reflect each subsystem's simulation status in a rich spatial environment.
This shift is not cosmetic. Rich 3D representations allow FCTs to better navigate spacecraft documentation, failure detection and recovery procedures (FDIR), and scenario preparation in ways that flat displays cannot support.
The Internship Project: 3D Visualization Engines for SATSIM
The technical focus is prototyping the integration of five advanced 3D visualization engines into SATSIM:
🔷 Panda3D: an open-source game engine and framework commonly used in scientific and simulation applications
🔷 Babylon.js: a web-based 3D engine enabling real-time rendering in browsers
🔷 Blender: an open-source 3D creation suite widely used for modeling and animation
🔷 CadQuery: a Python library for parametric 3D CAD modeling
🔷 Unreal Engine: a professional-grade real-time 3D engine used in aerospace, defense and simulation industries
The goal is to deliver a top-down, real-time, interactive visual representation of a satellite and its subsystems, with each element reflecting its simulation status dynamically.
About EUMETSAT: Europe's Meteorological Satellite Agency
EUMETSAT is Europe's meteorological satellite agency, responsible for establishing and operating meteorological satellites that monitor weather and climate from space, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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What You Will Do
🔍 Review existing EUMETSAT Satellite Simulators technical documentation
📋 Review EUMETSAT's Software Development and Systems Engineering practices documentation
📐 Generate operational and non-operational scenarios in coordination with Flight Control Teams
💻 Generate required software code for the advanced 3D visualization engines
🔧 Integrate the developed system into the MCAT AIV environments
✅ Verify and validate the system and user requirements
📊 Evaluate the performance of the systems and generate reports and a final technical report
Qualifications: Who Can Apply
The internship is open to bachelor and master students in computer science or spacecraft engineering. Only nationals of EUMETSAT's 30 member states may apply.
Required Skills
🗣️ Ability to work effectively in English
💡 Computer literate at a level appropriate to technical software development work
🔥 Intrinsically motivated and genuinely curious about the subject
🤝 Able to work both independently and collaboratively
🔎 Ability to take the initiative in researching ideas
📝 Ability to collect, collate, conceptualize and present information clearly
Advantageous: Experience in C, C++, Python or Groovy; software development practices; Space Systems Engineering; Spacecraft Engineering.
Employment Conditions
📅 Length: 3 months | 📍 Location: Darmstadt, Germany | 💰 Daily allowance: €25/day | 🚚 Relocation: up to €400 | 🏠 Accommodation: up to €1,000/month
Interns are responsible for their own health and accident insurance and accommodation.
Deadline
⏳ 19 November 2026
