Nutella® jar seen spinning through spacecraft
By: Catherina Gioino, FORTUNE News Editor, April 9, 2026, 9:34 AM ET
On April 6, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, became the farthest humans from Earth since Apollo 13. They broke a 56-year-old distance record; flew behind the far side of the Moon in a total communications blackout; and witnessed a solar eclipse from lunar orbit.
And less than four minutes before any of that history happened, a jar of Nutella stole the entire livestream.
During the livestream with a countdown of three minutes and 52 seconds before the Artemis II mission broke the Apollo 13 record, a tub of the chocolate-hazelnut spread drifted out of the Orion spacecraft’s kitchen area, rotated lazily in the cabin, and settled label-forward in perfect framing and perfect lighting.
It was the kind of product shot that would have normally come with a six-figure production budget to stage on Earth. But free product placement came a record-breaking 252,752 miles away from Earth, and the NASA livestream caught every second of it. And Nutella and parent company Ferrero were eating it up.
“We are over the Moon that the world’s best space explorers chose the world’s best spread,” Michael Lindsey, president and chief business officer, Ferrero North America, told Fortune in a statement.
“Like so many people around the world, we are captivated by the Artemis II mission and inspired by the brilliant teams making it possible. We were over the Moon to see how an unexpected glimpse of Nutella was able to spread a smile to our fans—even in space!” read a statement to Fortune from the Ferrero Group. “We always knew Nutella is out of this world, now we have proof!”
On social media, Nutella went nutty over all the excitement surrounding the brand. “Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history. Taking spreading smiles to new heights,” wrote the company on Instagram along with a rocket and heart emoji.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center jumped in on the fun, writing: “Enjoying sweet treats while our Artemis crew takes sweet photos of the Moon!”