Associazione Italiana Astrofilatelia

AS.IT.AF. – the Italian Astrophilately Society – has been established in 2008 as a non-profit organization, to become the focal point for all astrophilately collectors in Italy and to disseminate information among the Members and serve as a forum for exchange of ideas on our common hobby.

AS.IT.AF. aims at
- Promoting the interests of astrophilatelists and space collectors;
- Facilitating contacts among collectors;
- Promoting studies, research and publications about historical and technical aspects in relation with astrophilately and space mail;
- Helping in starting a collection, with particular attention to young collectors;
- Helping in finding proper astrophilatelic items, minimizing risks and errors;
- Producing astrophilatelic items related to space events contributed by italy;
- Organizing seminars and meetings about topics of interest;
- Organizing and supporting astrophilately exhibitions;
- Facilitating participation to space events;
- Creating and maintaining relationships with similar foreign associations.

AS.IT.AF is affiliated with the Federazione fra le Società Filateliche Italiane

AD*ASTRA , the quarterly Journal of AS.IT.AF. provides information – both in Italian and English – on the main astrophilatelic and space events, with a special focus on Italy. Twenty five per cent of the Members are from outside.

AS.IT.AF. is a non-profit organization and does not support commercial activity.


Board of AS.IT.AF
President Umberto Cavallaro
Vice-President Walter Cugno
Secretary Pietro Della Maddalena
Treasurer Pietro Della Maddalena
FISA-Delegate Umberto Cavallaro
Contact Pietro Della Maddalena
Website AS.IT.AF
Official Publication

Ad * Astra

  • 2024

    Ad Astra # 59

    • SPACELAB turns 40
    • Return to the Moon with the Italian Industry
    • Return to the Moon : 1. New Players
    • ASITAF Space Food in Athens
    • Prague, CZ 3Italian cuisine out of the World"
    • "The Challenge" on the 62nd Cosmonautics Day
    • "Space between Science and Fiction" : ALTEC turns 20
    • In Poland the first cryptostamp
    January 2024 # 59

    Ad Astra # 60

    May 2024 # 60

    Ad Astra # 61

    September 2024 # 61

    Ad Astra # 62

    October 2024 # 62
  • 2023

    Ad Astra # 55

    • Addio Luigi Bussolino ! ASITAF Vice-President passed away
    • Walt Cunningham passed away at 90
    • Artemis I and ESM : a success Story
    • The ASITAF covers - Orion's ESM
    • ArgoMoon, the first Italian sat to orbit the Moon
    • Virtual Exhibitions
    • The growth of a small company : FIREFLY AEROSPACE
    February 2023 # 55

    Ad Astra # 56

    • Special Issue : 15 years of AS.IT.AF
    • Overlooking the 15 years since 2008 up to 2023
    March 2023 # 56

    Ad Astra # 57

    • StarShip's maiden flight : a succesful failure
    • DANTE-SAT : The Divine Comedy back in space
    • Anna Kikina, the 1st Russian on a private US spacecraft
    • The growth of a small company : Relativity Space
    • A ride on Mars, with your feet on the ground
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou 9 and Tiangong 1
    • "TO THE STARS" - Women Spacefarers Legacy
    June 2023 # 57

    Ad Astra # 58

    • ASITAF Annual Meeting and renewal of the Board
    • Italy leading player in GALACTIC 01
    • The first cover that reached space with Virgin Galactic
    • Nicola Pecile, the first Italian astronaut to pilot a spaceplane
    • Galactic 03 carries Fossils to Space's Edge
    • Space Flights : the ittle grow up - Astra Space
    • OSIRIS-REx returns asteroid samples to Earth
    • Book review : "To the Stars"
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou 10 and Tiangong 1
    October 2023 # 58

    Ad Astra # 58

    • SPACELAB turns 40
    • Return to the Moon with the Italian Industry
    • Return to the Moon : 1. New Players
    • ASITAF Space Food in Athens
    • Prague, CZ 3Italian cuisine out of the World"
    • "The Challenge" on the 62nd Cosmonautics Day
    • "Space between Science and Fiction" : ALTEC turns 20
    • In Poland the first cryptostamp
    January 2024 # 59
  • 2022

    Ad Astra # 52

    • Best wishes to Walt Cunningham, who turned 90
    • Annual ASITAF Meeting and Board Renewal.
    • SpinLaunch : A giant centrifuge to hurl into space
    • Licia-Cube captures collision with asteroid.
    • A cover flown on Soyuz 9
    • Kayla Barron, a pioneering submariner turned astronaut
    • Waiting for Artemis.
    • San Marco 2: the first satellite from the Malindi platform.
    • "Back to Earth" by Nicole Stott - book review.
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou 7 Manned Spacecraft
    March 2022 # 52

    Ad Astra # 53

    • DIVINE COMEDY into space : "to rebehold the stars"
    • The growth of a small company : Vaya Space
    • From the world's highest post office to the ISS
    • See you Moon !
    • The ASITAF covers : IXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle)
    • Space Mail from Chinese Shenzhou 8 Unmanned Spacecraft
    June 2022 # 53

    Ad Astra # 54

    • Cristoforetti back to Earth after 170 days
    • The growth of a small company LAUNℂHER
    • LICIACube sends images of the DART Impact
    • The ASITAF covers : ExoMars
    • Collecting China Space Programme : challenge and fun
    • Liberec 2022 - where does philately goes to ?
    November 2022 # 54
  • 2021

    Ad Astra # 48

    • Yuri gagarin : Human space exploration era turns 60
    • Yuri Gagarin : The astrophilatelic side of Vostok-1 Mission
    • 40 years ago : The maiden flight of Space Shuttle STS-1
    • The first welding of HALO
    • From the Penguin Post Office to the International Space Station
    • Salto di Quirra - how it all began
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou-3 Unmanned Mission
    • Modeling Competition by invitation for Gagarin's 60th in Moscow : Italian model maker invited
    March 2021 # 48

    Ad Astra # 49

    • Dragon women spacefarers on Falcon wings
    • Bishop: a new room on the International Space Station
    • New Board Cancel in the ISS Russian Segment
    • SPACE RIDER: the Esa’s reusable mini-shuttle
    • 50th anniversary of the launch of Salyut 1
    • Space flights: little companies grow up - The development of Rocket Lab
    • The Chinese Dragon shrouded in mystery
    • Space Mail from China’s New Generation Spacecraft Test Ship
    June 2021 # 49

    Ad Astra # 50

    • Tribute to Jeff Dugdale
    • Space Tourism : the next big adventure
    • Sirisha Bandla : from Guntur to the edge of space
    • Wally Funk - no one has waited longer !
    • Our afectionate wishes to Paolo Nespoli !
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou 4 : unmanned spacecraft
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou 5 : first manned spacecraft
    October 2021 # 50

    Ad Astra # 51

    • Astrophilately at Milan and Siracusa
    • Hayley Arceneaux, the hope on Inspiration
    • Yulia Peresild - first actress in space
    • ASITAF "spacefood" moves to Istanbul
    • From Scott-Amundsen Polar Station to ISS
    • French-Soviet ARAKS experiment investigates Magnetosphere
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou 6 manned spacecraft
    December 2021 # 51
  • 2020

    Ad Astra # 44

    • Mission accomplished for Luca Parmitano
    • The first catholic Bible into the space
    • Beware ! The ill-famed Baikonur fakes are still up and running !
    • From the sea to the stars
    • Brugherio Exhibition "4 steps on the Moon"
    • The "Epic of Apollo" in Moncalvo
    • First unsuccesful recovery of Chinese space mail
    March 2020 # 44

    Ad Astra # 45

    • Crew Dragon : a new chap^ter in space exploration.
    • First succesful recovery of Chinese Space Mail.
    • Space tourism : 1- space adventures.
    • Vatican and Apollo programme.
    • American special space cancellations in history
    June 2020 # 45

    Ad Astra # 46

    • Scienza Fantastica in Spotorno
    • Space Tourism - 2 : Virgin Galactic
    • ISS shot by Chinese remote sensing sat Jilin-1
    • Beth Moses: the first woman to fly on a private spacecraft
    • A coin to commemorate Christa McAuliffe in 2021
    • Final test of HAPS at Spaceport America
    • From Antarctica to Space
    • Space mail from Chinese Shenzhou 1 Unmanned Test Spacecraft
    • Houston ISS Mission Control Station pictorial postmarks
    September 2020 # 46

    Ad Astra # 47

    • The third structural unit ESM-3 is delivered to Airbus Bremen
    • Rover Rosalind Franklin leaves Turin for final tests in Cannes
    • Hayabusa-2 brings back samples with new data on life in the Universe
    • Kathleen Rubins: a laboratory microbiologist turned astronaut
    • Space Mail from Shenzhou-2 Unmanned Spacecraft
    • First test of the next-generation Chinese crew spacecraft
    • Will it still be possible to make astrophilatelic covers in Italy?
    • “Making Space” - Book review
    December 2020 # 47
  • 2019

    Ad Astra # 40

    • A very special cover exclusive to ASITAF members
    • InSight lands on Mars, carrying Italian technologies
    • Apollo 8 - Merry Christmas from the Moon
    • The Unfulflled Potential of the External Tank
    • Anne McLain : to preschool at 3, to learn to be an astronaut
    • Book Review : The Race to the Moon in Stamps, Postcards and Postmarks
    • Special Soviet Postmarks in the eighties
    March 2019 # 40

    Ad Astra # 41

    • Paolo Nespoli in Villarbasse to commemorate 50 years since moonlanding
    • Apollo Programme : 5 steps towards the Moon and beyond ...
    • Putting their stamp on the Moon / Chris Calle
    • Calle, the first Honorary Member of ASITAF
    • Apollo 11 - First Communion on the Moon
    • Christina Hammock Koch
    • Soyuz MS-10 Launch Failure in 2018 and implications
    • Stratolaunch : a dream doomed to end soon ?
    June 2019 # 41

    Ad Astra # 42

    September 2019 # 42

    Ad Astra # 43

    December 2019 # 43
  • 2018
    > in production ...