In a historic milestone for space commerce and regulatory innovation, Isle of Man Stamps & Coins are delighted to work in collaboration with Eayst Noa Ltd, an Isle of Man company, to successfully undertake the world’s first digital franking of Isle of Man Post Office stamps in Lunar Orbit enroute to the Moon and their transmission back to Earth. Together with local technology supplier, Arcube Limited, this pioneering effort, conducted in collaboration with the Department for Enterprise (DfE), also marks a ground-breaking test of the Isle of Man Government’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) regulations.
The stamps selected for this landmark trial support the Isle of Man’s commitment to the future of secure business continuity and lunar exploration. The Isle of Man Post Office 2023 Back to the Moon and Triskelion stamp collections were included in the Lonestar ‘Freedom’ Data Centre payload that travelled to the Moon; they were franked in space and transmitted back to Earth.
The stamps and the necessary edge-processing software for this test were digitally stored aboard the Freedom Payload, launched by Intuitive Machines and SpaceX for Lonestar Data Holdings Inc. (the parent company of Eayst Noa Ltd) from Cape Canaveral on 26th February 2025. The software for executing digital stamp creation in lunar orbit was created by Arcube, in partnership with Luke Ramsden and Abdulla Al-Kamil. While the craft experienced challenges when touching down on the lunar surface, Eayst Noa has confirmed receipt of the digital stamp data from the surface of the Moon post landing; we are therefore especially pleased to announce the release of this celebratory sheet to record the key events and activities of the mission.
The Back to the Moon stamps were designed by Glazier Design as the third set in a series that started with One Small Step, marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The company worked with Chris Stott, Apollo Program leader George Abbey and NASA. The stamps were launched at Mission Control in Houston. The later sets mark the continued exploration of the Moon and space including our next brave steps to establish human colonies on the Moon.
Stu Peters MHK, Isle of Man Post Office Chairman, remarked: “We are pleased to once again demonstrate our commitment to innovation with the first ever digitally franked stamps from Lunar Orbit. Our stamps have long captured historic moments so it is fitting that they are now part of history with this momentous project.”
Harvey Lowe, Founder and Director of Arcube Limited, said: “This is a world’s first achievement on many levels. It’s great to see the Isle of Man’s commitment to innovation, no matter the planet this occurs on.”
Tim Johnston MHK, Minister for Enterprise, commented: “As a jurisdiction, the Isle of Man is proud to embrace innovation, recognising its role in building a future-ready community and economy. This mission is a testament to that approach, marking an exciting milestone that not only showcases the Island’s strong infrastructure and readiness to support bold new ideas, but also pays homage to its rich culture and heritage.
The Isle of Man is proud to have a heritage of being a first mover and open to new innovation and ideas, and this milestone represents another proof point of this in practice, and highlights the strength of the Island’s infrastructure to support new, cutting-edge ideas and innovations.”
The Triskel Collection - Isle of Man based stamp designer Emma Cooke of ejcdesign said, “I have gathered a photographic collection of the numerous adaptations of our national symbol for the last 25 years. To now have a digital version of my artwork on the surface of the Moon, is something I never contemplated when I took my first photo of a Manx flag at Tynwald Hill. I recall through my lens it demonstrated a sense of resilience and determination.
The Space Collection - Stamp designer Ben Glazier says: “It is a wonderful moment to see our artworks in digital format part of this mission. It is the culmination of a 56-year story of Lunar discovery, and a decade of collaboration with Isle of Man businesses; we are incredibly proud to be a part of it”.
The success of this project opens the door to future applications of space-based digital storage and business continuity solutions, reinforcing the Isle of Man’s position as a global hub for innovation in space, technology, and commerce The Isle of Man Post Office is proud to be part of the voyage into the future.
Product ACM68 - £22.50 - https://iomstamps.com/collections/mann-on-the-moon
