In the early thirties, the first successful launches of the so-called. mail rockets - special items that carry letters and postcards as payloads. This news has inspired enthusiasts in different regions and countries. One of the enthusiasts who wanted to develop a new direction lived and worked in Cuba. At the end of the same decade, Enrique Funes carried out his own rocket launches.
The very idea of a rocket mail was quite simple and could be realized even with the use of not the most advanced devices. So, the first products of this kind were made from Congriva combat missiles, which, however, did not show high performance. The first successful experiments with sending mail by missiles were carried out in the early thirties in Austria. News of this success spread around the world and became an incentive for the emergence of new projects. With a certain delay, the Cuban E. Funes became interested in the subject of rocket mail.
One of the envelopes from a rocket launched on October 1, 1939. Photo by Stampcircuit.com
Unfortunately, not too much information about E. Funes' project has been preserved. The background of the project is unknown, and information about technical solutions is extremely scarce and fragmentary. At the same time, there is detailed information about test and "combat" launches of mail missiles. In addition, the philatelic community of Cuba and other countries was able to preserve some material directly related to the experimental rocket mail. All this makes it possible to draw up a fairly detailed picture.
Apparently, at the end of the thirties, E. Funes became interested in successful foreign missile mail projects and, in this regard, decided to create his own system for a similar purpose. How long the enthusiast had to seek help is unknown. There is no information about the timing of the development of the project. One way or another, all major work was completed no later than September 1939. All planned launches took place shortly thereafter.
According to the surviving data, E. Funes' mail missiles were distinguished by their simplicity of design. They had a cylindrical body with a conical head fairing, which was divided into two compartments. The payload was placed in the head section, and all other volumes were given under the solid fuel engine. The type of engine and its fuel is unknown. In the tail section of the rocket, X-shaped stabilizers of great length were fixed. The total length of the rocket did not exceed 2 m. The diameter was several tens of centimeters. The launch mass of the missiles is unknown, but from the dimensions it follows that it did not exceed 8-10 kg. According to calculations, the missile could fly several kilometers along a ballistic trajectory. There were no controls, for obvious reasons.
The launch should have been carried out from the simplest launcher equipped with guide rails. Unfortunately, it is not known how exactly this product was made. Perhaps the installation was made stationary, although it could be disassembled for transportation.
A letter received by mail on October 14th and possibly flown the next day. Photo Collectspace.com
Since a certain time, the enthusiastic designer has been supported by official organizations. The implementation of the project was assisted by the Cuban Philatelic Club, which operated under the Department of Communications. This organization helped E. Funes with the development and implementation of the project, and also took part in organizing the launches. Finally, the Club provided the necessary philatelic materials that were to become the payload of the rockets.
The first launch of E. Funes' mail rocket was scheduled for October 1, 1939. At the same time, so far it has only been about flight tests. No one was sure of the real capabilities of the rocket, and therefore first a series of test launches should have been carried out. Only by showing its real capabilities, the rocket could go into operation. As it turned out later, it took three test launches to check and fine-tune the rocket.
Despite its test nature, the first flight took place with a full payload on board the rocket. 60 envelopes with special markings were placed in the cargo compartment of the product. The envelopes were labeled with official Cuban postage stamps in denominations of 25 centavos. On the stamps there was an overprint "Primer cohete aereo 1939" - "The first air missile of 1939" The envelopes were also canceled with a round stamp “Pre-ensayo del primer cohete postal aereo” indicating the place and date, as well as the test purpose of the launch.
On the appointed day, the first test launch of a mail rocket took place at one of the sites near Havana. For the first time in the history of Cuba and South America as a whole, a rocket was launched with mail on board. Unfortunately, the rocket fell short of expectations. The testers started the engine, but it was unable to send the rocket on the desired flight. The product fell a few meters from the launcher and received some damage. E. Funes and his colleagues set about finding out the causes of the accident and preparing for the next launch.
Brand for the only "official" rocket launch. Photo Stampcommunity.org
The second test launch was scheduled for October 3. Probably a different missile was used this time. Correspondence was again placed in the cargo hold. The envelopes with different markings became the load. They were decorated with white vignettes with a blue border, which had a denomination of 25 centavos. In addition, extinguishing was performed. It was carried out using the same stamp as before, but with a different date.
The second launch could not be considered successful either. The rocket moved away from the launcher by several tens of meters, but the actual flight range was much less than desired. In addition, the missile was damaged when it fell. In its current form, it could hardly be used in practice to send correspondence between settlements. The enthusiasts returned to work in order to deliver a new missile with a new cargo to the "test site" in a few days.
On October 8, another experimental rocket was placed on the launcher. In its head part there were 16 envelopes with vignettes in denominations of 25 centavos. This postage sign was white with a red border. Representatives of the philatelic club again used the existing stamp, on which the three was replaced by an eight.
The third test launch was the most successful. The rocket flew 200 m and then fell to the ground. Apparently, the product collapsed, and in addition, caused significant damage to the payload. The capabilities of the rocket, in general, have been confirmed. At the same time, the actual test results were much worse than expected.
Special cancellation stamp dedicated to the 15 October flight. Photo Postalhistorycorner.blogspot.com
The developer and curators of the project decided that the mail rocket still meets the basic requirements and can be used, at least, for a demonstration flight and amusement of the venerable public. The open demonstration of the new communication facility was scheduled for October 15th. From the fourth launch, it was supposed to arrange a mass event. In addition, a new batch of postage signs was prepared for him, and the collection of correspondence for the first official shipment using a rocket was organized. It was proposed to load the consignments onto a rocket, carry out a launch, and then transfer them to the "regular" post of Cuba.
In a matter of days, the creators of the rocket mail received 2,581 letters from those wishing to. The Cuban Post Office has prepared 1,000 special envelopes, postcards and a special 10 centavo stamp especially for the upcoming flight. The existing green airmail stamp was supplemented with the overprint "Experimento del cohete postal Año de 1939" - "Experiment with rocket mail, 1939". Thus, Cuba became one of the first countries to issue an official rocket mail stamp. The postcard depicted a Cuban landscape with a flying rocket. Around the figure there were explanatory inscriptions with the start date. Also, before the first "combat" launch, a new rectangular stamp was prepared with the image of a flying rocket, the date and the corresponding signature.
For obvious reasons, E. Funes' mail rocket could not take on board all the letters sent. In this regard, the organizers of the event randomly selected only fifty departures, which were soon to make a flight. The letters selected for loading onto the rocket were not marked in any way. After the rocket was launched, they, along with the remaining correspondence, were sent to the post office for further forwarding. It is impossible to distinguish flying envelopes from others.
On October 15, 1939, at the same site near Havana as before, the first public launch of Henrique Funes' mail rocket took place. On board there were 50 letters for different addressees. After the launch, the product flew several hundred meters and fell to the ground. Then the letters were extracted from the rocket and, along with others, were handed over to the post office employees. Soon the correspondence reached its addressees.
1964 stamp dedicated to the anniversary of E. Funes' experiments. Photo Postalhistorycorner.blogspot.com
Special cargo missiles could be of great interest in the context of the development of the Cuban postal system, but this idea was not developed. The first public launch of E. Funes' rocket was also the last in the entire series. Perhaps the enthusiasts prepared new missiles, but the next launches were not made. The reasons for abandoning a curious idea are unknown. Probably, the project lost support due to the lack of real prospects. The flight performance and reliability of the proposed rocket left much to be desired, and in addition, it had a limited carrying capacity. As a result, the new rocket could be used only in mass events, as they say, "for the amusement of the public," but was not of interest to the postal department.
Probably, in the last months of 1939, E. Funes and his colleagues stopped work, and this was the end of the history of Cuba's rocket mail. No new launches were made. New projects of this kind never appeared on the island. Cuban Post continued to use existing ground and air vehicles. The most daring ideas had no real future.
Thanks to four launches - three experimental and one demonstration - a significant number of postage signs of interest to philatelists have appeared on the market. Nevertheless, this area has not been without problems. The fact is that the vignettes and stamps of the first for the three launches were not officially recognized by the Department of Communications, and for this reason were not included in the catalogs. As a result, they were not widely known and could not immediately receive a proper assessment.
Other commemorative stamps from 1964. Photo Postalhistorycorner.blogspot.com
The brand for the only "official" launch was more fortunate. In connection with this event, the Cuban Communications Department issued 200,000 commemorative airmail stamps. As official postage marks, such stamps were included in catalogs, gained fame and were sold in collections. A similar situation was with envelopes accepted for shipment by rocket mail. A certain number of these items are still present on the philatelic market and attract collectors.
Enrique Funes' experiments were the first and last attempt by Cuban experts to create a rocket mail. No new projects of this kind have been created in Cuba. However, the only project that actually did not have a real future was not forgotten. In 1964, the Cuban Post issued a series of 25 stamps dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the only "official" launch of E. Funes' rocket. The stamps were issued in the form of sheets with a general pattern on space themes. In addition, a stamp was issued that repeated the mark for the only "official" flight.
At one time, the idea of rocket mail excited the minds and gave birth to the most daring predictions in the context of the development of communications. Some countries, including Cuba, have experimented with launching mail missiles, but the actual results were much more modest than forecasts. Thus, the Cuban project of E. Funes stopped after the fourth launch of the rocket and was no longer resumed. Despite all the excitement around launches, the only real result of the project was a large number of the most interesting stamps, vignettes and envelopes that still attract the attention of collectors. However, not the most successful project was able to take its place in history, providing the first launch of a mail rocket in the history of Latin America.
