Science of Mini-EUSO detector on board the International Space Station

The Mini-EUSO space experiment (``UV atmosphere'' in Russian Space Program) is a telescope designed to perform observations of night-time Earth in the UV spectrum. The instrument comprises a compact telescope with a large field of view (44 degrees), based on an optical system employing two 25 cm diameter Fresnel lenses (focal length $\simeq $ 30 cm) for increased light collection. {\me} will study different scientific phenomena ranging from strange quark matter and Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) to bioluminescence and atmospheric physics. It will also create the first night-time map of the Earth in UV light. The mission will raise the technology readiness level (TRL) of the future JEM-EUSO missions to observe UHECRs from space. The {\me} measurements will be performed from the ISS through a UV transparent window in the Russian Zvezda Service Module. Launch is foreseen between Autumn 2017 and beginning 2018 in the framework of the next manned ASI (Italian Space Agency) flight and observations are supposed to continue with Russian cosmonauts for several years.