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A contribution by Niklas Wenzel for the project "What's going on?!" From students at the H_DA
Federico controls satellites for the European Space Agency - from Darmstadt. How do I get to an international organization after studying?
When I get out of the tram stop "Maria-Goeppert-Straße", there is still no building to be seen far and wide. Only after a few hundred meters on footpath do I discover a large office and some waving national flags. It has to be. At first glance, the area looks great, but very inconspicuous: one old office building after the other. When I walk closer towards the entrance, I can see a large sign on which the "ESA" (European Space Agency) is in blue script. Here, not far from the Darmstadt main station, the operations center of the European equivalent to NASA has its seat. "When I entered the campus for the first time, it immediately felt very special," says Federico, who only wants to be mentioned on the first name. "It was very cool to run through the goals with the big ESA logo for the first time. That is the place where the ESA missions are launched."
From livestreams to the control center
Federico is 26 years old and works as a "SpaceCraft Operations Engineer" at ESA. After a one -year internship in Madrid, this is his first permanent position, directly at an international organization. "I always pursue a mission together with a team. We monitor them and make decisions about the mission process." While Federico leads me across the site, I can feel his enthusiasm for space travel. "About ten years ago I looked at many live streams from various ESA missions," he says. "It fascinated me so much that I wanted to study aerospace technology myself." He did that in Italy, where he grew up. "To be honest, my path was quite classic. After the internship at the satellite manufacturer Fossa Systems in Madrid, I simply applied and was taken to a vacancy at the ESA." No connections, no tips, no special starting tests. "Of course there is a lot of competition with such an interesting job, but all in all the application was very standard," says the space engineer.
Rosetta: milestone of comet research
After a longer tour over the site, we stop in front of a life -size model of a space probe. "This is Rosetta," says the 26-year-old. The special milestone of the mission: The lander "Philae" was the first probe to put on a comet surface. "Rosetta was a pretty big thing for the ESA," he says. "This probe has provided us with many new knowledge about comet and its role in the creation of sun and planets." Then Federico leads me to his office. Complex data views run on several screens. Then we pass the main control room. From here, the starts of the ESA missions are controlled. "My most beautiful memories of the work at the ESA have emerged here," says Federico. "Every start is a huge event. There is a long silence from the moment when the rocket starts its engines until it is in space and the satellite separates. If everything works out, huge cheer breaks out. It is always very emotional."
Why Darmstadt?
At the latest now I realize what international meaning the ESA has. Why is your control center in a comparatively small city like Darmstadt? "To be honest, I don't know exactly," says Federico with a smile. "But I like Darmstadt very much. At first glance, it is not the most beautiful city, but you can achieve everything with your bike, which I like very much. And if you know where you have to search, you will really find a few nice corners." In fact, the decision for Darmstadt was no coincidence: As early as 1962, the European Space Research Organization was located here, a predecessor organization of the ESA. This existing infrastructure and the proximity to the technically shaped TU Darmstadt made the city an ideal location for the new control center.
Ka fte, colleagues and community
After further offices with even more screens and tables, the lead is coming to an end. In the cafeteria we get cappuccino. Federico has some of his colleagues there: inside. He seems to get along well with many. "Yes, the working atmosphere is great. It is a very international bubble, which I like very much. My friends come here from all over Europe. We also make a lot together in our free time, sometimes the ESA also organizes game nights or excursions to the Christmas market." I have the impression that Federico is really happy with his job at ESA, the environment is also right.
Finally, he would like to give another aerospace students a tip: "Sometimes it is easier than you think to get into such a company. You just have to try. The ESA offers many entry options, for example through internships. If you want to work in this area, you should not be deterred by big names. I just did it in the end."
I am impressed how Federico naturally went his way and what potential is in Darmstadt. If you want to work in a large industry, you don't necessarily have to move into a metropolis - sometimes a bike path through Darmstadt leads directly to an international company.
This article was made as part of the project "What's going on" - a teaching editorial team of students from the online journalism course at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (H_DA). Da.news supports the project and publishes selected articles on its platform. Further information and texts are available here and on: www.was-da-los.de
