Papal Flag in Space
“A Unique Piece for the Collection”
A Papal Flag Flown in Space Aboard Soyuz MS-20/International Space Station
The item is a 4 x 6″ miniature flag of Vatican City State flown aboard the Soyuz MS-20 to the International Space Station with Soyuz commander, Russian cosmonaut, Alexander Misurkin.
The mission was in orbit for twelve days beginning on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, and culminating on December 20, 2021.
Documentation of this flag’s presence was by mission commander, A.Misurkin:
– stamped with octagonal hand stamp, “Board of ISS”
-signed with a black ink marker
-photographed inside Soyuz near the window
The signature reference is a photo of the cosmonaut alongside the flag displaying the signatures on his uniform and on the flag.
The flag of Vatican City State was adopted in 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating the new independent state of Vatican City, which is governed by the Holy See.
