Sovereign Military Hospitaller
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta
The Order of Malta’s flag in space
| On sale | Yes |
| Face value | Complete set € 4.00. |
| Stamp description | Assembled in a se-tenant block, the two stamps depict the journey into space of the flag with the eight-pointed cross of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, carried on board the spacecraft, which, as part of the “Axiom 3” Mission, travelled from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station on 18 January last, returning to Earth on 9 February. The crew included Colonel Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force, pilot of the mission. The € 1.25 stamp, placed to the left of the se-tenant block, contains a representation of the Order’s activities flag. The € 2.75 stamp, placed to the right of the se-tenant block, contains a representation of a spacecraft and the official emblem of the Mission, prepared by the Ministry of Defence of the Italian Republic, with the name “AX-3 VOLUNTAS, 1964-2024”, shown on Colonel Villadei’s uniform. In the background of the stamps joined together, at the bottom, the Earth, and behind, the interstellar space. |
| Date of issue | 10 July 2024. |
| Face values | € 1.25, € 2.75. |
| Size | 40 x 52 mm. |
| Perforation | 13. |
| Print run | five thousand stamps for each subject. |
| Stamp sheet | eight. |
| Printed by | Cartor Security Printers, La Loupe, France, in offset. |
Latest news
Order of Malta flag returns home after mission to International Space Station
After taking part in the Axiom 3 space mission last January, the flag of the Sovereign Order of Malta has returned home. In a ceremony held at the Magistral Villa, the flag with the octagonal cross was returned to the hands of the Receiver of the Common Treasure, Fabrizio Colonna.
Poste Magistrali at the Congress of the Italian Philatelic Press Union (USFI) 2024
In continuity with the previous years, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta's Poste Magistrali took part in the Congress of the Italian Philatelic Press Union (USFI), the important association that brings together journalists and writers specialised in philately in Italy.