Rome, Magistral Villa
Monday, 16th September
Today, in the emblematic seat of the Magistral Villa in Rome, the ceremony of “return” of the flag and the presentation of the Merito Melitense’s Honorary Distinctions to Colonel Walter Villadei and the leaders of the Italian Air Force took place. The flag was recovered from the hands of the Pilot of the Mission, by H.E. Fabrizio Colonna, for the Order of Malta.
The flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta has come at the end of this mission of great symbolic value. After 21 days of space mission, it was returned to the Order of Malta in a ceremony dedicated to the Magistral Villa.
The flag with the octagonal cross, a banner under which more than 150,000 people have been operating for nearly a thousand years in 120 countries around the world, had crossed the borders of Earth’s orbit on 18th January 2024 aboard AXIOM 3. The space mission, with the participation of the Italian Air Force, left from NASA’s base at Cape Canaveral in Florida, bound for the International Space Station. At the time of the departure of the space shuttle, the Receiver of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fabrizio Colonna, wanted to underline the symbolic importance with these words: “After being deployed over nine centuries on five continents, our flag has now crossed the earth’s borders. We are very proud to know that the flag that flies over our hospitals, health centres and clinics as well as where our volunteers and employees operate – also in war zones – is now in orbit, part of a mission of great scientific value aimed at achieving a better world for all”.
For this occasion, the Order of Malta’s Magistral Post Office dedicated a special postmark (https://postemagistrali.orderofmalta.int/en/news/a-special-postmark-for-axiom-mission-3/). The words “Sovrano Militare Ordine Di Malta Malte” and “Poste Magistrali”, with the legend “Lancio Axiom Mission 3” and the date “19.1.2024” complete the postmark.