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LOGISTICS & REQUIREMENTS
Applying to Polaris Airborne is easy! In the application form (accessible above) you will be able to select up to three teams you would like to apply. You could be admitted in one or two teams but only one of them can be a technical one ( GNC, Propulsion, Balloon, Structures, and Electronics). You do not have to select three roles, however the more roles you select, the higher the chance we can find you a place. Below you can find more information on the the different teams and relevant skills. In your application you will have to present a set of documents which are explained in this site. Please notice that recommendation letters and professional portfolio are not mandatory. After processing your application, you might be assigned an interview based on the the time availability you state in the application form. If you are admitted, we will try to allocate you in your preferred role(s) and will notify you on the outcome. Decisions will be out by the end of March. Below is an FAQ section, however if you have any other questions you can, for the first time directly ask a Polarian using the button below!
CV*
ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT*
PROOF OF ENGLISH*
ONE SPACE ESSAY*
COMPETENCY ESSAY*
RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
CV*
CV’s longer than two pages will not be accepted unless you are doing a PhD. CV formats change all around the world, feel free to use whichever you want. You can use images, colors, and anything that showcases how you are. We recommend you double check your CV to make sure there are no words in other languages that are not English.
ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT*
Your academic transcript (or Grad Record) can be unofficial, IT DOES NOT REQUIRE TRANSLATION, and it must include your grades from AT LEAST your last semester. The more semesters you provide, the better. If you have been in multiple higher education institutions, you can present various in a single PDF. At TEC, this document is called the “registro de notas”, at ESTACA it is the “bulletin de notes”, at UCR it is “historial de cursos”. If you are currently working, and no longer attend an institution, a certificate of employment or letter from your employer stating you work at their company is sufficient. If you are currently taking a gap year, you must write a 500-1000 word essay on why you took a gap year and what you have achieved so far. This essay must be saved as a PDF and uploaded here.
PROOF OF ENGLISH*
ANY of the following proofs is accepted, please upload only one: EF SET (ONLINE and FREE!), TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, letter from English professor stating the applicant’s level of proficiency, a signed written document that states that English is your mother tongue or that you can justify your level of English as being high. Please note that regardless of your proof, your English skills will be evaluated based on your essays and could be evaluated on a subsequent interview. We recommend that if English is not your native language and you do not have taken an English test, that you take online, and for free, the EF SET .
ONE SPACE ESSAY*
In 2016, the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) delivered a workshop on Human Space Technology. One of the topics covered was the risks of space being reserved as a place for only a selected group of nations, e.g., big national agencies. On your essay, please answer to the following questions: What do you think these risks are? For you, what does the globalization of space mean? Why is it or not important? In practice, what would it look like to contribute to this cause?
Extension: ~500 words
COMPETENCY ESSAY*
Why would you like to take the role(s) you have selected? Explain how you would fit into the role(s) you are applying to including any relevant previous projects, experiences, or jobs where you developed technical/soft skills related to those/ that role(s). Make sure to mention the specific skills you consider you have from the “List of Relevant Skills” for each team you want to apply to. Extension: ~500 words.
RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
You can provide up to two recommendation letters by asking your recommender(s) to fill out a form in your favor. Let them know that the submission deadline is the 15th of March. Letters received after that day likely be disregarded. Recommendation letters must be in English. In case the recommender cannot upload the letter, you can use the same link to submit the letter for yourself, however, we prefer they submit it. If your recommendation was made in a language different than English, you can translate it to English (please attach the original document right next to the translation; no need for an official translation)
PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
You can provide a professional portfolio to support your application. This your chance to share with us videos, pictures, or documentation of any work (whether technical or not) you have done you would like us to see! People applying to the Content team are expected to submit a portfolio. Format: PP_First_Last
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We require all applicants to be at least 18 years old by March 20th. Young professionals under 35 are also welcome to apply!
Although having hands-on experiences is valuable, Polaris is a space for you to learn! You do not need to have interned at NASA, have work experience, be at the top of your class, or have led a space project to be a good fit for Polaris. The two things we value the most are passion and willingness to learn!
In Project Polaris we think about space holistically. Our program merges interdisciplinary aspects allowing Polarians to grown and learn in diverse areas ranging from technical skills, to art, to interculturality, to writing, etc. Cross-team interactions are encouraged and expected!
There are multiple ways of satisfying this requirement and various examples are provided in the “proof of English” tab above. We are very open to any sorts of ways in which you can show us you are proficient. If you took a standardized test some time ago and it is no longer valid, you can still provide that certificate. We do not want you or require you to spend money on any sorts of examinations. The level of English required for Polaris is at least B1. Regardless of what proof you present, your writing and speaking skills will be evaluated at some point of the application process.
Thanks to partnerships with the Costa Rica Aerospace Cluster, the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, and AREX we have already interned 30 people in local companies including COOPESA (at the airport) and Ticoelectronics (now a G.W Lisk company). We help connect students to internship possibilities in Costa Rica during the Action Stage (May-August). Additionally, participating in our Tropical Space camp working on the rover can be considered an internship with AREX. Getting an internship is not required to participate on the Action Stage or Tropical Space 2023.
AREX (2016) is a Costa-Rican based startup that contributes to the globalization of space by developing purposeful and innovative projects. AREX has two branches on of them is the rocketry branch (we built the first liquid rocket engine of the Central American and the Caribbean Region!) and the other is the international collaborations branch, of which Polaris is part. In short, AREX is the mother company, and Polaris is one its projects.
Yes! During the last three years, Polaris has matured a lot and we want to keep on building #onespace. AREX is thus working with Polarians on turning the project from an informal collaboration into an formal International Organization that will be able to expand and achieve great things. Stay tuned!
We understand that most of our Polarians are students. You will be expected to put in the time that your schedule allows. The workload will vary with each team and time of the program, with Tropical Space being the most active (and exciting!) stage.
Project Polaris will write papers to present Airborne at different conferences/congresses happening between September 2023 and January 2024. Although the IAC is not being considered, Management already has five conferences in mind!
Each team will have a different size depending on the activities a team need to realize for a successful program completion. Historically, our teams have not been bigger than 15 people.