Draft:HeliosCube-Eleni
Open-source 1U CubeSat developed for suborbital microgravity research
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HeliosCube-Eleni is an open-source 1U CubeSat designed as a technology demonstrator for microgravity experiments. It was developed for the MAPHEUS-16 suborbital mission of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).[1][2]
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 2 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 4,282 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
 | This is a draft article. It is a work in progress open to editing by anyone. Please ensure core content policies are met before publishing it as a live Wikipedia article. Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Last edited by Quinntropy (talk | contribs) 41 hours ago. (Update)
This draft has been submitted and is currently awaiting review. |
The CubeSat was designed and constructed by Petros Mandouvalos of the mpla-ExoTech team in Athens, Greece, in collaboration with Christian Neumann of the DLR in Cologne, Germany.
Development
The project is part of the HelioCube series, which aims to create low-cost, rapidly manufacturable CubeSats using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and 3D printing technology. All design files, electronics schematics, bill of materials, 3D models and firmware are publicly available under open-source licenses.[1]
Design and technical specifications
HeliosCube-Eleni conforms to the standard 1U CubeSat dimensions (100 × 100 × 110 mm).
Structure
The primary structure is 3D-printed using carbon-fiber-reinforced PETG (PETG-CF). Additional aluminium panels provide rigidity and mounting points. The hybrid construction significantly reduces cost and manufacturing time compared to traditional machined aluminium frames.
Electronics
- Main controller: FireBeetle 2 ESP32-S3 microcontroller
- Inertial Measurement Unit: BNO055 (9-DoF) + BMP280 (pressure and temperature)
- GNSS: GPS/BeiDou module with RTC
- Radiation sensor: Geiger counter
- Additional sensors: Ambient light (TEMT6000), sound sensor, camera module
- Data storage: MicroSD card
- Connectivity: Grove I²C hub
Power system
LiPo battery with TP4056 USB-C charger, optional solar charging capability, and I²C battery fuel gauge.
The satellite logs acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic field, pressure, temperature, radiation levels, light intensity, and camera images during flight. All data are stored locally on the microSD card for post-flight analysis.
MAPHEUS-16 mission
HeliosCube-Eleni was integrated as a demonstration payload (demosat) on the MAPHEUS-16 mission, launched on 12 November 2025 at 05:05 local time from the Esrange Space Center in Sweden using a two-stage sounding rocket with Red Kite engines.[3][4]
The mission reached an apogee of approximately 260 km and provided more than 6 minutes of high-quality microgravity (≈10⁻⁶ g).
Significance
The project demonstrates the feasibility of using low-cost, open-source hardware and additive manufacturing (3D printing) for space-related technology validation in suborbital environments. It serves as an educational and research platform for small teams and institutions interested in space technology.
See also
- CubeSat
- Sounding rocket
- Microgravity
- MAPHEUS