China_Space the post office

Spale-flight Commemorative envelope

November 3, 2011 
China opened a new post office on Thursday (Nov. 3) with a street address that is 213 miles (343 km) above the Earth.

Coinciding with the country achieving its first ever docking in space between the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and Tiangong-1 space lab module, the "China Post Space Office" opened for business both on the ground in Beijing Aerospace City and, at least virtually, on board the newly established orbital complex.

Located on the ground near China's mission control, the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center (BACC), the new space post office even has its own zip code that extends into orbit: 901001.

China opened "China Post Space Office" (zip code 901001) after the Tiangong space station prototype was launched.

(Yang Liwei, first taikonaut of China, was appointed as head of the space post office.)

Like any postal facility, the office will process letters and, in this case, e-mails, making it possible for the public to write Chinese astronauts, or "taikonauts," on the ground and in space. The space post office will offer domestic and international delivery as well as philatelic products, with more services expected to be introduced as China's aerospace industry eventually expands.

Yang Liwei, who in 2003 became China's first taikonaut in space, will serve as the post office's honorary chief.

This scheme has already been quite a hit, especially amongst China's stamp collecting community. On the first day of business, most of the products sold out and the office had to delay its closing time. For those stamp fanatics who couldn't make it to Beijing, some contacted Beijing's philately fans online and asked them to get the postmark of the space post office for them. Another user, on Baidu's philately site, writing under the username Youshijidianyou, said: "Next time I go on a business trip to Beijing, I will drop by and get the postmark myself."

Other services are in the pipelines. For those who want to prove their love is otherworldly, the office will provide a service called "Let Space Witness Our Love" in the near future. Couples can submit photos of themselves, alongside specific vows, which will in turn be printed onto postcards, stamped and sent to space and back. Foreigners can submit their photos too, but if they want to have the postcard sent back to their country, they need to pay an international post fee. "Let Space Witness Our Love of Families" and "Let Space Witness Our Friendship" will be follow-ups.

Address: Space Post Office, Building 17, 102 Youyi Lu, Haidian district