Artemis 2 is a record-breaking mission: not only did it mark the return of humanity around the Moon, but the Orion capsule in its trip around our satellite took the astronauts to the furthest point from Earth ever reached. A goal also achieved by a big jar of Nutella. Many, seeing the images that documented the flyby of the NASA mission, literally jumped from the sofa when they saw the iconic product of Alba’s confectionery industry floating.
Most people have thought of an accurate digital manipulation of the image – and in times of generative artificial intelligence, who could blame them – but looking at the live images you can capture exactly the moment in which, just under 4 minutes after reaching the distance record from the Earth, the Nutella logo enters the image.
It wasn’t a product placement operation 405,000 km from Earth: astronauts who live in a little aluminum “box” where even the toilet continues to cause problems for ten days can at least console themselves with a jar of chocolate spread. The definitive commercial for the Italian manufacturer Ferrero comes thanks to the personal reserve of one of the astronauts: if most of the foods that make up the basic menu of Artemis are made up of freeze-dried products – to avoid carrying too much weight and dispersion of water that could damage the electrical circuits – each member of the NASA crew could bring some “treat”.
The astronauts gorged themselves on macaroni and cheese, beef brisket, broccoli au gratin and scrambled eggs, but also hot sauce, coffee and 58 tortillas
Some netizens accused NASA of orchestrating the condiment’s brief appearance, calling it product placement. But the American space agency categorically denied this rumor: Bethany Stevens explained that NASA does not select meals or food for the crew based on partnerships with commercial brands and that it was not a product placement operation.
Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history 🚀 Taking spreading smiles to new heights ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vDUJMi1qbS
— Nutella (@NutellaUSA) April 6, 2026