February 19, 2026

— The United States Postal Service (USPS) Is ready to "mark" NASA's first launch of astronauts to fly by the moon in more than 50 years.

The USPS on Thursday (Feb. 19) revealed pictorial postmarks for the launch and 10-day Artemis II mission to be available from its Cape Canaveral, Florida and Houston, Texas (Hadley Street) post offices, respectively. Both ink markers were designed with an interchangeable date and month device so they can be used for the launch day and any milestone during the flight.

The Artemis II mission is currently targeted to lift off no earlier than March 6 from Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. After the KSC post office closed in 2023, the next closest USPS location is Cape Canaveral.

During the mission, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch, all of NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency will work with Mission Control in Houston to check out the systems aboard their Orion spacecraft "Integrity" and to ensure their safe return to Earth.

The Cape Canaveral pictorial postmark depicts the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion in separate flight. It includes the words "Artemis," "Return To The Moon" and "Florida Space Coast" in addition to "Cape Canaveral, FL 32920" and the launch date.

The Houston device features Integrity backdropped by the moon and the silhouettes of flight controllers working in Mission Control. The phrase "Artemis Mission Control" is central to the design, which also includes the city (Houston, TX 77002) and the requested date.

Both "Postmark America" cancellations were designed by artist Detlev van Ravenswaay of Bonn, Germany and sponsored by Stephen Stein, a Connecticut-based philatelist.

"The Postmark America program is designed to feature graphics related to a theme or image that pertains to a specific tourist location, town, or region. The postmark is applied upon request to both outgoing mail and on hand-back philatelic collectibles. These postmarks will be available any day a participating post office is open," reads the USPS's Postal Bulletin.

All requests must have at least a First Class postage stamp affixed and if being requested at the post office, must be done on or before the date being requested on the postmark.

Collectors can also send requests for the postmark through the mail. If sent, the USPS will honor requests for a specific date for 30 days. To request either postmark, the desired envelope(s) or postcard(s) should be affixed with the proper postage in stamps, self-addressed (or addressed to others of your choice) and then put into a larger envelope addressed to either:

Stephen A. Stein
ARTEMIS Postmark
8700 Astronaut Boulevard
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920-9998

Stephen A. Stein
ARTEMIS Postmark
1500 Hadley Street
Houston, TX 77002-9998

The USPS recommends inserting a backer card or stiffener of postcard thickness into the envelope you want postmarked for sturdiness and then tuck in the flap.

"Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial postmark, the Postal Service returns the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover," reads the bulletin.

The Houston Artemis pictorial postmark is the latest in a series of Mission Control Station marks first offered in 2013. The earlier devices, which remain available upon request, depict Russia's crewed Soyuz spacecraft, SpaceX's first-generation Dragon, which flew cargo to the International Space Station and SpaceX's Crew Dragon that ferries astronauts to and from the orbiting laboratory.