TASTE Orbiter Spacecraft - Nanosats Database

Satellite	TASTE Orbiter (Terrain Analyzer and Sample Tester Explorer)
Form factor	CubeSat
Units or mass	12U
Status	not launched, expected in 2028
Launcher	not launched
Organisation	Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF)
Institution	Institute
Entity	Government (Civil / Military)
Headquarters	Italy
Manufacturer	AIVT by ?
Operator	?
Partners	Politecnico di Milano, INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste
Oneliner	Composed by a 12U orbiter and a 4U lander, aiming to explore the Martian moon Deimos.
Description	TASTE (Terrain Analyser and Sample Tester Explorer) is a new concept Cubesat-in-Cubesat (CiC) mission, composed by a 12U orbiter and a 4U lander, aiming to explore the Martian moon Deimos. Deimos and Phobos are considered primary targets of investigation to understand the origin and evolution of Mars and more in general the terrestrial planets of the Solar System. While there is no clear consensus on a definitive scenario for the moon's formation, two major hypotheses are considered among the scientific community: giant impact origin or asteroid capture. To unveil the origin and evolution of Phobos and Deimos, in the context of international exploration of the Mars system, it is necessary to have detailed knowledge of both moons. While the JAXA Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, which is planned to be launched in September 2024, will study Phobos; the TASTE mission has the main objective to study Deimos, combining both global observations from a close orbit and direct analysis of the surface obtained by a lander.
Notes	Size increased from 9U+3U to 12U+4U.
Sources	[1] [2] [3] [4]
Photo sources	[1]

Last modified: 2025-04-13