An Educational 3U CubeSat Mission at Politecnico Di Torino: The ELECTRA Mission for TEC Research and Micro Thruster In-Orbit Testing

ELECTRA - Electron Layer Exploration using CubeSat for TEC Research and Analysis - is a student-driven 3U CubeSat mission, under development at Politecnico di Torino, by the CubeSat student team in collaboration with the Systems and Technologies for Aerospace Research Laboratory (STAR lab) and the Navigation Signal Analysis and Simulation (NavSAS) research groups. The mission serves as an educational platform, providing students with hands-on experience in space mission design and development. Through collaboration with NavSAS, students gain expertise in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and telecommunications. The project promotes multidisciplinary teamwork, problem-solving, and interaction with the research and industry sectors, bridging the gap between academia and the business world. The core scientific mission objective is the analysis of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). By leveraging the CubeSat's natural orbital decay, the mission will monitor TEC variations at multiple altitudes, enhancing the understanding of ionospheric dynamics and space weather phenomena. The integration of GNSS-based Radio Occultation (RO) data will enable detailed vertical profiling of electron density, providing insights into equatorial plasma bubbles, Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs), and auroral irregularities. This data will contribute to improving space weather models and increasing the accuracy of satellite-based communication and navigation systems. Additionally, ELECTRA serves as an in-orbit demonstrator for the Solid-State Plasma (SSP) micro thruster, an advanced propulsion system designed for CubeSats. Its feasibility will be evaluated using Kinematic Precise Orbit Determination (POD) algorithms, which process GNSS measurements to track the CubeSat's trajectory with meter-level accuracy. This paper presents a detailed overview of the ELECTRA mission, covering its mission objectives, system architecture, and key subsystems, including payload design, propulsion, communication, and data processing. Furthermore, it discusses the lessons learned and best practices from the concurrent engineering approach adopted during the mission's conceptual and preliminary design phases. The paper highlights the educational impact of the CubeSat student project on both the student community and the educational approaches to target a more hands-on and comprehensive project-based education. These insights aim to provide valuable guidance for future educational CubeSat-based research and technology demonstration mission.