Scott No: 502-503
Serial number: S39
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: April 30, 1960
Denomination: 18 fen
Designer: Wu Jiankun
Engraver: Sun Jingyong, Gao Pinzhang
Size of stamps: 22*27.5mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 100(10*10)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

S39 "Soviet Lunar Rockets and Interplanetary Stations" special stamps were issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on April 30, 1960. The set consists of 2 stamps, designed by Wu Jiankun, engraved by Gao Pinzhang and Sun Jingyong, printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory by engraving, with gum applied to the back of the entire set. The uniform stamp size is 22 mm × 27.5 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, 100 stamps per sheet, layout 10 × 10, with a total face value of 0.18 yuan for the set. Circulations: Lunar Rocket 8 fen, 10 million copies; Interplanetary Station 10 fen, 3 million copies. This set was issued to congratulate the Soviet Union on its aerospace achievements in lunar exploration and is one of New China's early space-themed stamps.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Lunar Rocket

With a red background, in the upper right is a huge moon, and a lunar rocket traces a long white trajectory flying toward the lunar surface; in the lower left are the Soviet national emblem and the letters "CCCP." In January 1959 the Soviet Union launched Luna 1, the first human probe to escape Earth's gravity and fly past the moon; in September of the same year Luna 2 successfully impacted the lunar surface, becoming the first man-made object to reach the moon and realizing the first arrival of a human vehicle at a celestial body beyond Earth. The picture shows the moment of the rocket flying toward the moon, representing the historic step in humanity's lunar exploration.

Interplanetary Station

With a green background, the design likewise sets off the outline of the moon in the background; the main subject is an automatic interplanetary station, extending several antennas and suspended in interstellar space. In October 1959 the Soviet Union launched Luna 3, which orbited the far side of the moon and for the first time photographed images of the lunar far side never before seen by humanity and transmitted them back to Earth—a major breakthrough in interplanetary exploration. The interplanetary station represents a deep-space exploration platform, symbolizing that humanity can cross the Earth-Moon space and carry out long-distance cosmic observation.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical format, with the two stamps connected in sequence: the first is the rocket flying toward the moon, the second is the probe carrying out in-orbit exploration, completely presenting the process from launch and lunar flight to interplanetary exploration. The whole set is in monochrome engraving, with fine, solid lines, relying on engraved screen lines to express the curvature of celestial bodies, the structure of the vehicles, and the depth of space, without superfluous figures or scenery; the composition is concise, highlighting the rationality and grandeur of aerospace technology.