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6 months at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for Charles
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Currently in his final year of engineering studies at ISAE-SUPAERO, Charles MILLANCOURT has been supported by the Foundation to spend 6 months at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Caltech, California, USA. This was an opportunity for him to take a further step towards his professional goal: working in the field of space exploration, with rovers and/or drones for science and technical progress.
He takes stock of his experience.
Why did you choose to go to JPL?
There were many reasons for me to join JPL. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a NASA research and development center specializing in robotic exploration of the solar system. This experience allowed me to immerse myself in a world-renowned research and engineering environment, particularly in robotics. I confirmed my desire to continue my career in the field of space exploration, with rovers and/or drones for science and technical progress.
During this six-month period, I explored exciting projects related to computer vision and robotics, where I was able to develop my skills in software engineering and image processing. Indeed, computer vision is an invaluable tool for space exploration: lightweight, less expensive and just as effective as bulky sensors. I was inspired by the tangible impact of these projects on future space missions, and by working with world-renowned experts in such a stimulating environment.
Thanks to this internship, I was able to improve my technical and linguistic skills, which motivates me even more to work in an international environment, in a space agency for example. I’d like to make a greater contribution to the innovative projects being developed there, particularly in the fields of autonomous robotics and computer vision for space exploration: Earth observation, the study of the moons of Jupiter/Saturn and the exploration of Mars. In short, I wanted to get an insider’s view of how engineers work on, and contribute to, major space exploration missions.
Can you tell us about your stay?
Charles Millancourt
I had an incredible experience at JPL.
- From an academic point of view, I had the exceptional opportunity to collaborate with a top-level research and engineering team on projects in robotics and computer vision, two fields essential for exploration. The team I was on was NASA’s Aerial Mobility Group, which had previously worked on the Ingenuity Mars Demonstration Mission: a helicopter flown to Mars by the Perseverance rover and completed 72 flights. It was impressive to be with these people and to work with them. This experience in such a technical and demanding context gave me the opportunity to apply the skills I had acquired at ISAE-SUPAERO and during my personal projects to deepen my knowledge of the cutting-edge technologies I study. The work was technical and sometimes difficult. It combined both “software” (code and algorithms) and “hardware” (a real drone on which we carried out our tests).
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Culturally, life in Los Angeles has been intense. Compared to Toulouse, I was confronted with a fast-paced city of gigantic size. It was necessary to adjust to a new way of life, with different habits, a language spoken on a daily basis and a work culture different from that of France. I liked the way in which the hierarchy was somewhat effaced, and where discussion takes place much more easily between the project manager, the team leader and the trainees, for example. This cultural break was very enriching: it gave me a great capacity to adapt, a greater open-mindedness and a better understanding of American ways of living and working. Personally, I really blossomed during this half-year in the United States. I discovered different cultures and made friends from all over the world. This kind of experience gives you a broader vision and changes your perspective on the world of work and personal life.
It’s now clear that I’d like to work in a rewarding environment like a space agency, working with people of all nationalities on global missions. It was undeniably a pivotal moment in my personal and professional life, which not only confirmed my aspirations, but also influenced my long-term vision of my career and future.
What were the highlights of your stay?
My time at JPL has been marked by many memorable moments, both professionally and personally. Working with high-level teams on a mission to explore the Red Planet was of course the most intense experience of my stay: discussing, working and collaborating with such a team made me grow and enabled me to discover other ways of working, the American way. I was lucky enough to work on a mission that was important both scientifically and technically. I was working on the navigation algorithm for the future Martian helicopter, a hexacopter, capable of flying tens of kilometers at impressive altitudes of several hundred meters. These difficult conditions made the work of developing the algorithms both complex and very interesting. I learned a lot from my colleagues about the technical solutions used for this kind of mission. Discussions with them, particularly during technical reviews and exchanges on innovation possibilities, were very enriching. My internship was divided into three parts: firstly, understanding the subject, the challenges and getting to grips with the tools already developed, then implementing the code for the navigation tool, and finally testing the drone indoors and outdoors. Testing was an important part of my stay, as the campaign lasted almost two months, during which we were able to test the navigation algorithms, in particular the position estimation I was working on. The transition from simulation to reality was sometimes complicated, but always rewarding: lots of problems to solve, moments of euphoria when the drone was working.
The final presentation of my internship was an important moment to show the results to the team, synthesize all my work and gather the data. Thanks to this opportunity, I was able to defend my results, receive constructive feedback from my team and discuss future technical directions. Not only was this a stimulating challenge, but it also gave me the opportunity to boost my confidence in my technical skills.
And on a personal level?
From a personal point of view, the discovery of American culture, and California in particular, was a great asset. From NASA to the national parks, via iconic Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Hollywood and Santa Monica, this stay was intense, both during the week and at weekends. The culture is different from France, and everything is out of proportion: the size of the city, a far cry from Toulouse and the Capitole, the roads, the skyscrapers, the beaches… It’s a world out of proportion, far removed from anything we see in Europe.
NASA brings together people of all nationalities, and working with them was very interesting: we were able to share our life experiences, compare European lifestyles with those of other continents, all united around the same passion for robotics and space exploration. Last but not least, I think the most vivid memories will also be those lectures and demonstrations of NASA missions. I was able to see for myself the Europa Clipper probe which will be sent to Jupiter’s moon in the next few years, the test model of Ingenuity, the helicopter sent by NASA to Mars to inspect the soil of the red planet, the Perseverance and Curiosity test rovers. Chief engineers from major missions and astronauts came to give lectures at NASA, which I was able to attend, it was extraordinary.
What do you take away from this experience?
My experience at NASA JPL has been invaluable to my career path, allowing me to immerse myself directly in an environment of excellence in the field of robotics for space exploration. In terms of my career path, it enabled me to strengthen and deepen my skills in robotics, computer vision and software development, all essential areas for future space exploration missions. It was also very useful for my English; I was immersed in an English environment for 6 months, which enabled me to acquire technical vocabulary and take part in team meetings to put forward my approaches and ideas. By taking part in these high-level engineering projects, I was able to put into practice the knowledge I had acquired at ISAE-SUPAERO, as well as the skills I had acquired during my internship at CNES and during my exchange semester at the University of Toronto, while developing deeper expertise in technologies such as perception and estimation algorithms for autonomous drone navigation. The role of this internship in my career goes beyond technical skills. I was able to observe how American researchers and engineers work on projects of this scale; to understand how they approach problems and come up with solutions as a team. There’s also no shortage of funding: projects are extremely expensive, and there are countless rover, drone and probe projects.
I’m even more motivated to pursue my career in space exploration, focusing mainly on autonomous robotics for space or ocean exploration. Indeed, I was able to visit the laboratories where engineers are developing autonomous submarines, and I was very interested. I intend to continue working on technologies for exploring new planetary environments, in partnership with world-renowned companies in this field, particularly in Europe with ESA for example.
The contribution of this stay to ISAE-SUPAERO’s research activities is significant: the institute’s areas of research activity are rooted in my background and experience, particularly that at NASA. The research carried out there is directly in line with the school’s robotics and artificial intelligence research areas. Currently in my final year of the school’s engineering curriculum, I’ve taken courses in line with what I’d done in the USA: signals, systems (automatic and estimation) and space systems design and operation. The theoretical knowledge I acquired (and will learn throughout the year) during my course was able to be related to the concrete needs of the space industry with this internship at NASA and the internship at CNES beforehand. I’d be delighted to help future students find an internship there, and advise them on engineering fields in line with their studies at ISAE-SUPAERO. This is already the case with a few students who have contacted me and to whom I have been able to give invaluable advice for their internship search. In addition to this, I have acquired advanced skills in engineering tools and methods at NASA, which will be useful to research projects and students at the Institute, sharing new technical approaches, whether as part of final year projects, the IEP, internships or collaborations between laboratories. I’ll also be able to compare my work with that done during the various projects, and test different approaches. Thanks to my stay at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I’ve been able to enrich my own career while adding concrete value to ISAE-SUPAERO’s research activities, by promoting the transfer of technology and knowledge between the American space industry and academic research carried out in France.
What’s next for you?
At the moment, I’m entering my final year at ISAE-SUPAERO, and for the last few months I’m taking advantage of the Institute’s student environment. At the end of the year, I have to do a final internship to complete my training and validate my diploma. I’d like to do it with the European Space Agency, which would allow me to finalize my experience and find a job in an environment that suits me. I’d like to move into robotics and computer vision for space exploration. It’s a vast and promising field, useful for both exploration and Earth observation.
