100+ new space jobs + Elon buys twitter (again)

Welcome to February (and to all those new subscribers 👋)

If you were hoping for a launch this week, I have bad news. Isar won’t launch until March and Artemis II scrubbed its February window after some issues during the wet dress rehearsal.

So it was expected to be a quiet and “normal” week until SpaceX decided to acquire xAI (and with it twitter, by the way 🤯) and now plans to launch 1 million orbital data centres to space. The timeline and numbers are questionable but the memes are very funny, that’s for sure.

And while all this happened, ESA literally flooded the job market by opening 100+ graduate trainee vacancies. Now is the best time to be a recent graduate.

Let's get into it 👇

🚀 Spotlight: New on findaspacejob.com

Here are some of the best space jobs available today:

• Spacecraft Controller / Flight Dynamics - Orbit and Attitude Analysis (m/f/o) @ LuxSpace (Luxembourg)

  👉 Long title but very cool job. You’re the one telling the satellite where to go and how to behave in space. Niiiice.

• Backend Software Developer @ KSAT (Norway)

  👉 This one is new 👀 and quite interesting: help build the software layer for “a new space infrastructure”

• Graduate Trainee in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics @ ESA (Switzerland)

  👉 There are literally hundreds of graduate roles, but this is the only one located in Switzerland. In case you missed it.

• Compliance and Procurement Specialist @ UP42 (Germany)

  👉 Another non technical role in the space industry!

• Graduate Trainee in Space Transportation Strategy, Market Analysis and Engineering @ ESA (France)

  👉 Rockets + markets + strategy + ESA = a 🔥🔥🔥 opportunity

• Graduate Trainee in Galileo Systems Engineering @ ESA (Netherlands)

  👉 I love systems engineering and you should probably too (if you’re a recent graduate at least)

• Ground Segment Engineer @ Thales Alenia Space (Italy)

  👉 A small reminder that satellites are useless without the ground segment… so why not help design the system that actually talks to the satellites?

• Earth Observation Applications Specialist @ ESA (Italy)

  👉 This is a very special role as it focusses on the applications of EO technology.

• Master's Thesis: Performance Model for the paired flying satellites of the Next Generation Gravity Mission @ Airbus (Germany)

  👉 This one is for you students: study and model formation flying missions (I’m a big Proba-3 fan so I’d wish I could apply to this)

• Postdoctoral Research Associate in Space Security @ Durham University (UK)

  👉 Work on space security and the geopolitical dimensions of space domain awareness (knowing what’s around you in space): it couldn’t be more relevant… just check what happened yesterday (here) if you don’t believe me

• Sales Manager in Space Products @ Thales Alenia Space (Switzerland)

  👉 Not all heroes write code… haha. This one is for you.

And a lot more. This week in particular: over 100+ ESA graduate trainee opportunities. Check the full job board for more.

🗞️ News: it’s all about the letter X

1. SpaceX acquires xAI (and X)

If you still doubted it, this is the confirmation: orbital data centers are the next big thing. At least according to Elon Musk. SpaceX has officially acquired xAI, effectively betting that the future of AI lies in orbit. The logic is simple: space offers infinite solar power and radiative cooling, solving the massive energy bottlenecks on Earth. The problem is that this is still a topic with significant challenges: specifically radiation shielding for sensitive GPUs and the latency of beaming that much data back and forth. But with Starship fully operational, putting stuff in orbit will no longer a problem.

On a more relaxed note: people are just too funny.

2. March is the new February

It seems we have to wait a little longer. Both NASA and Isar Aerospace are now targeting March for their respective launches. These aren't just routine flights:

• Artemis II: will take humans around the Moon for the first time in 50 years.

• Isar Aerospace: could become the first private European company to reach orbit!

3. Isar Aerospace expands in Sweden 

While they wait for the launch window, Isar isn't sitting idle. The company just announced a major expansion of their engine testing capabilities at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. More test stands mean faster iteration cycles for their engines. You can read the full release here.

4. OHB opens a "Moonport"

OHB just announced the founding of the "European Moonport Company" in Bavaria. This is a dedicated entity focused on developing lunar infrastructure such as landing pads and energy systems. With "Space Valley" in Bavaria booming, this is a clear bet that the lunar economy is coming regardless of the short-term Artemis delays.

👀 Want to help me?

We’re working on the next version of the job board (and have some nice updates planned too) but I want to make sure we’re building what you actually need.

Many of you have already asked for features (thanks!) like visa sponsorship flag, more detaild filters and similar things. But now I ask all of you: if you could add one thing to the platform, what would it be?

Reply to this email with your choice. (Or just tell me what frustrates you the most about job hunting)

Thanks again!

That’s all for this week.

Let’s see what comes new next week: keep your eyes open!

Until next Thursday!

P.S. Hiring? Post your role here

As usual: connect on LinkedIn and follow the Find a Space Job for updates.