James Webb Space Telescope stamp collection coming to USPS in celebration of deep space photos

Want to collect a piece of James Webb Space Telescope history? Later this year, the U.S. Postal Service will release a special stamp collection celebrating the new deep space telescope. JWST launched last Christmas and delivered the most detailed views of deep space earlier this month.

Background

Decades in the making, James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s named after James Webb, who served as the second NASA Administrator including during the early Apollo era.

Image details captured by JWST contain much more detail than its predecessor that was launched over 30 years earlier in 1990. That’s because Webb has longer wavelength coverage and much more sensitivity for viewing galaxy formations from the past and present.

Learn more about NASA’s mission goals with the Webb telescope here.

Webb Space Telescope stamps

The new Webb stamp features artist James Vaughan’s depiction of the deep space telescope and its 18 reflective gold mirrors. Behind the Webb telescope is a star field image provided by NASA.

Collectors will be able to pre-order the space-inspired Forever stamp online starting August 8. Webb Space Telescope stamps will be sold in sheets of twenty. Pre-ordering will be available at usps.com/shopstamps (where USPS is also selling a Buzz Lightyear collectible stamp).

The Webb Space Telescope stamp collection will be available one month later on September 8. If you happen to be near the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington DC, USPS will be holding a public dedication ceremony on that date.