Expedition 65 / Soyuz MS-18 first spacemovie - FLOWN ISS cover

Expedition 65 — ISS-Flown Cover Signed in Space by the International Crew and the Challenge Film Team

An extraordinary artifact of modern space exploration: an original philatelic cover flown aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 65, hand-signed in orbit by astronauts, cosmonauts and participants in the historic Russian film project The Challenge.

The cover was officially postmarked aboard the ISS on October 17, 2021, the final day of Expedition 65 and the date on which Soyuz MS-18 returned to Earth. This precisely dated onboard cancellation places the cover at a remarkable moment when the station hosted its regular international crew together with Russian actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko.

Signed aboard the International Space Station

The crew and spaceflight participants present during this historic period were:

• Thomas Pesquet — ESA astronaut and Expedition 65 commander
• Akihiko Hoshide — JAXA astronaut and former Expedition 65 commander
• Shane Kimbrough — NASA astronaut
• Megan McArthur — NASA astronaut
• Mark Vande Hei — NASA astronaut
• Oleg Novitskiy — Roscosmos cosmonaut and Soyuz MS-18 commander
• Pyotr Dubrov — Roscosmos cosmonaut
• Anton Shkaplerov — Roscosmos cosmonaut and Soyuz MS-19 commander
• Yulia Peresild — actress and spaceflight participant
• Klim Shipenko — film director and spaceflight participant

The seven professional members of the principal Expedition 65 crew were Pesquet, Hoshide, Kimbrough, McArthur, Vande Hei, Novitskiy and Dubrov. Shkaplerov, Peresild and Shipenko arrived aboard Soyuz MS-19 on October 5, temporarily increasing the station’s population during the closing days of the expedition.

The first professional dramatic film made in space

The presence of Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko gives this cover exceptional cultural as well as space-historical importance. They travelled to the ISS to film scenes for the Russian motion picture The Challenge, widely recognized as the first professional feature-film production to shoot substantial dramatic material in Earth orbit.

Peresild performed the leading role, while Shipenko directed and operated much of the filming equipment himself. Their work transformed the ISS from a scientific laboratory into a genuine film location approximately 400 kilometres above Earth.

Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov commanded the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft that carried the pair into orbit. After nearly twelve days aboard the station, Peresild and Shipenko returned to Earth with Oleg Novitskiy aboard Soyuz MS-18 on October 17, 2021—the same date shown by the cover’s onboard postmark.

A milestone Expedition

Expedition 65 was an important period of international cooperation aboard the ISS, bringing together crew members representing NASA, Roscosmos, ESA and JAXA. The expedition supported scientific research, technology demonstrations, station maintenance and spacewalks while also witnessing the unprecedented arrival of a professional filmmaking team.

This exceptional cover combines several highly desirable elements:

• Flown aboard the International Space Station
• Hand-signed in space
• Cancelled with an onboard ISS postmark dated October 17, 2021
• Connected with the conclusion of Expedition 65
• Associated with the Soyuz MS-18 and Soyuz MS-19 missions
• Hand signed by all 10 (Shipenko signed twice) astronauts and cosmonauts
• Signed by actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko
• Directly connected with the filming of The Challenge in orbit
• Accompanied by an official AIEP Certificate of Authenticity issued by Igor Rodin

A remarkable museum-quality piece of contemporary astrophilately, documenting both a major International Space Station expedition and the historic moment when professional feature filmmaking reached Earth orbit.