At OHB SE, students and graduates are preparing for a career in the space industry with the "Trainee Program" ASTRI

Bremen, April 24, 2018. OHB SE is one of the first companies to offer students and graduates a very special "trainee program" within the framework of the European ASTRI program (Advanced Student Team Research in Space Industry). For 18 months, they can participate in a study for a Micro Moon Landing System for the commercial exploration of the moon work. They are supported by experts at OHB System AG and its sister company Blue Horizon Sarl - an important bridge from studying to working in the space industry.  

Eight international students and graduates are going to boldly embark on a career-making opportunity to work in the international programme ASTRI (Advanced Student Team Research in space Industry) on new space technologies with one of Europe’s leading space companies, OHB System AG, a subsidiary of listed space and technology company OHB SE.

Working on a study to develop a micro moon lander

The students and graduates have been selected by OHB System AG to work for 18 months with the company and Life Sciences partner Blue Horizon Sarl, Luxemburg, on a study to develop a micro moon lander system for future commercial exploration of the moon.

The ASTRI-programme is launched by Jean-Jacques Dordain, former Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA). The ASTRI-programme offers students and graduates of four different universities the opportunity to work for space industry.   

Kick off in Munich

Flying to the Munich site of OHB System AG for the project launch on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 April, the students will begin a project at OHB, with the support of academics and OHB experts.

The students and graduates will have the exclusive opportunity to work with OHB experts at sites across Europe, on the whole range of spacecraft technologies including propulsion, communications, power and on-board computing systems, to begin the work of designing the moon lander.

Opportunity to compete for a permanent contract

Following this 6 month phase, they will be offered a 12 month engineer contract with the company to continue development of the spacecraft, and have the opportunity to compete for a permanent contract with the company at the end of the study.

Adam Welch, student at Leicester University said: “I can’t wait to directly apply what I have learnt from the Master’s course in an industrial environment, finalising into a complete, commercial product. It is my hope that this programme will be the perfect starting point for a future career in the space industry for myself and my colleagues.”

Christopher Grace, also Leicester student said: “Being selected for the ASTRI project is an amazing opportunity for me to get some real world experience in the space industry and apply the knowledge I have gained while at university. I am really excited about getting to work with the engineers at OHB and I hope that we will be able to take this project to completion and see our final design built and launched to the moon!”

Kyle Hoult-Ellingworth (Student, Leicester) said: “We are all excited to start the project, we think that this opportunity with OHB is a perfect bridge between our Master’s studies and joining the professional space science industry.”

OHB System AG is one of the three leading space companies in Europe. It belongs to listed high-tech group OHB SE, where around 2,400 specialists and executives work on key European space programmes.

OHB’s commercial micro moon lander is an example of the revolution which is occurring in the 21st century space sector – an era often referred to as “Space 4.0” or “New Space”, in which private companies are now major players in the development of satellites and launchers.

This change is driven by commercial opportunities offered by operations in space, and enabled by advances in technology which are leading to smaller, lower cost and more capable spacecraft.

Dr Nigel Bannister, Professor at Leicester University from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: “I’m so excited for our students to embark upon their journey with OHB, it’s a truly fantastic achievement.

The objective of the Space Explorations MSc course is to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge that will be required by the industry in this era of "New Space". Working with OHB and Blue Horizon will ensure that these students are among the best qualified in a new generation of space scientists and engineers."