[from PostNL press materials] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Journey to The Moon

Date of issue: 21 April 2023

Format: sheet with nine stamps in different shapes
Item number: 430461
Design and illustrations: Lilian Vos, Vividblue

On 21 April 2023, PostNL issued the Journey to The Moon stamp sheet, dedicated to space. Travelling to and in space has always captured people’s imagination. This year a number of space flights have been planned once again. The Journey to The Moon stamp sheet features nine stamps with illustrations related to space. The 10th stamp featuring the moon is missing. The stamp with the moon is symbolised by the punched-out circle, and PostNL plans to issue it when man sets foot on the moon again around 2025. This tenth stamp will then complete the journey to the moon series. The denomination on the Journey to The Moon stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g destined for the Netherlands. A sheet of nine stamps costs €9.09.

Ever since the development of the first telescopes more than 400 years ago, we have loved looking beyond what the human eye can see. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space in 1961, while the Russian Soyuz programme was launched in 1967. In 1969, the Americans put a human on the moon for the first time with Apollo 11. The Apollo programme was followed by the space shuttle programme. The ISS International Space Station has been the site of close international cooperation since 1998.

Space is now visited more than ever before. This year, for instance, the ESA European Space Agency will be launching the Juice space probe, which will map Jupiter’s largest moons. A number of commercial organisations will also be testing their latest rockets in 2023, including the New Glenn (Blue Origin) and the Starship (SpaceX). Later this year, NASA will send space probe Psyche to the asteroid of the same name between Mars and Jupiter. The moon will also get a visit in 2023, from Japanese, Russian and Indian unmanned lunar landers, among others.

The Artemis international space programme aims to land astronauts on the moon again by 2025. The programme consists of 3 missions: an unmanned test flight (late 2022), a mission during which astronauts circle the moon without landing (scheduled for 2024) and finally a lunar landing mission (scheduled for 2025).

The stamps feature illustrations of the following nine subjects:

• the planet Saturn
• Orion capsule, designed to carry astronauts
• floating astronaut in spacesuit
• satellite with solar panels
• view of the Earth from the moon
• SLS launch vehicle
• Orion capsule during ‘splash down’ with parachutes
• moonboot, a classic part of astronaut outfit
• walking astronaut in spacesuit.

Three of the stamps are round, the shapes of the other six follow the outlines of the illustrations. The edge of each stamp is perforated with four teeth. The stamp with the moonboot has five additional teeth, as a nod to the sole of the shoe. The illustrations are printed in warm red, cornflower blue, soft yellow, silver and copper.

A Dream Come True
The stamp sheet was created by graphic designer Lilian Vos of Amsterdam-based agency Vividblue. It is her first stamp design, an assignment that fit her like a glove. ‘My father was a collector, especially of first-day envelopes. I remember endlessly admiring the pictures on stamps when I was little. Stamps and stamp designs also definitely played a role in my decision to study graphic design. At the academy’s open day in Maastricht, I had the opportunity to view a number of enlarged stamp designs. I wanted to do that too.’

To learn more about the subject, Vos visited the permanent Space Expo space exhibition in Noordwijk, which she called ‘very impressive.’ After seeing the enthusiasm by the astronauts and staff there, she decided to focus the stamp design mainly on the human aspect of space travel. ‘Noordwijk showed that the subject is still alive, among young and old alike, especially given the ongoing Artemis space programme,’ she said. ‘Mankind is taking trips to the moon again.’

PostNL asked Vos for an innovative design, and thus, the ‘hole’ for the tenth stamp. ‘This unique idea is designed to make people curious, and it’s something we haven’t seen on a stamp sheet before,’ Vos said.

The Journey to The Moon stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and here [direct link; in Dutch]. The ‘1’ denomination for items weighing up to 20g destined for the Netherlands. A sheet of nine stamps costs €9.09.

Technical Details:
Stamp sizes:

• Saturn: 23.0 x 50.0 mm (h✖️w)
• Orion capsule: 28.0 x 33.5mm (h✖️w):
• floating astronaut: 31.8 mm diameter
• satellite: 28.0 x 44.4mm (h✖️w)
• Earth: 37.3 mm diameter
• SLS launch vehicle: 45.4 x 33.4mm (h✖️w)
• moon boot: 30.1 x 33.0mm (h✖️w)
• Orion capsule with parachutes: 32.6 x 36.2mm (h✖️w)
• walking astronaut: 31.8 mm diameter

Sheet size: 150 x 144mm (h✖️w)
Paper: normal with phosphor underprint
Glue: self-adhesive
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: magenta, yellow, black, blue and silver
Edition: 110,000 sheets
Format: sheet of nine stamps in nine different designs
Design and illustrations: Lilian Vos
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 430461

There is a set of two official FDCs for this issue: