Post Office is Sending Stamps to the Moon

The Isle of Man is posting stamps to the Moon as part of a ground-breaking mission to explore the possibility of space as an ultra-secure, extra-planetary storage location.

We checked the date on this one too, but rest assured it is July not April.

The mission, in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme, will explore how data can be stored on the Moon and retrieved in the event of a catastrophe on Earth.

Each digital stamp will be verified and tracked during its return trip to the Moon, with this trail becoming part of the digital footprint.

They will then be transmitted back to Earth as part of the larger Artemis lunar exploration programme mission. The stamps are the first digital stamps ever used by the Isle of Man Post Office, and will feature different versions of the famous Triskelion flag, representing each of the secondary schools on the island.

Chairman of Isle of Man Post Office Stu Peters said: ‘We are delighted to be involved in this very exciting mission which will see Isle of Man stamps being ‘posted’ to the Moon for the very first time. Isle of Man Post Office prides itself as a trusted technology and logistics partner and this digital dispatch to the Moon and back will be a very special delivery indeed.’

CEO of Lonestar Chris Stott added: ‘Having grown up in the Isle of Man, I feel enormously privileged to be able to run such a novel mission from my home. We could not do this without the Island and its unique commitment to disaster recovery, space, and the global digital economy.’

Minister for Enterprise Tim Johnston also added: ‘This is an incredible opportunity for the Isle of Man to build on its long history of innovation in the space sector and launch a truly unique space mission. The possibilities this technology can bring are hugely exciting, and it is yet another example of how the Isle of Man is leading the way in pioneering new developments for businesses.’

Space start-up company Lonestar Data Holdings Inc., which is headquartered in Florida with operations in the Isle of Man, will be responsible for delivering the digital stamps into space and tracking their return to Earth.