MITA (Mini-Satellite Italiano a Tecnologia Avanzata) was a small technology demonstration satellite developed under an A.S.I. (Italian Space Agency) contract by Carlo Gavazzi Space S.p.A. as the prime contractor.
The goal of the project was to design, develop, and implement a low-cost platform for small Earth missions that could support a variety of applications. The main body of the satellite is designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions with a lifetime of 3 to 5 years and is based on a cubic-shaped module with a 100 kg range and three axis stabilization.
The purpose of the programme is threefold:
- to obtain (in a short period of time) a bus demonstrating the ability of the Italian aerospace industry to realize this type of small space program cost-effectively and efficiently;
- to possess a flexible and low-cost vehicle to qualify advanced space technologies in a short period of time;
- to promote and perform technological and scientific experiments in the framework of the ASI national program involving University Institutes and Research Laboratories.
MITA carried two experiments:
- NINA-2 was a payload for the study of solar and galactic cosmic rays. The detector used in this mission is identical to the one already flying on the Russian satellite Resurs-O1 4 in an 840 km sunsynchronous orbit, but it takes advantage of the MITA bus's extensive computer and telemetry capabilities.
- MTS-AOMS (Micro Tech Sensor-Attitude and Orbit Measurement System) was a suite of equipment developed by Astrium in Germany with ESA funding that combines satellite attitude and orbit determination. It is made up of three parts: a camera that takes images of both the star field and the Earth's horizon, a magnetometer, and a sensor that measures the speed of rotation at an angle.
MITA was launched in July 2000 as a secondary payload on a Kosmos-3M. It operated until August 2001.
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