Between faulty Outlook headaches and a toilet on the fritz that releases … well, gas into the air, the astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission may be feeling as if they’re spread a little thin, but that hasn’t stopped them from having a little sweet treat—and creating possibly the world’s best free advertisement in the process.
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!”
In another post, a jar of Nutella, floating just like the real-life one did aboard the Orion, is seen floating aboard a ship, this time beneath the words “Now enjoyed in space.” The caption asks folks to comment on what they would bring to space to win their name on a jar of Nutella: “Houston, we have Nutella in space! Tell us the one thing you’d bring into the cosmos for a chance to have your name written in the stars (or on a custom Nutella jar).”
NASA officials confirmed the Nutella was simply part of the crew’s approved food supply as one of 189 menu items aboard the Orion, alongside beef brisket, mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, and chocolate cookies. Bread, notably, is banned on spacecraft, as crumbs can damage precision instruments, so astronauts wrap most food in tortillas. NASA did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment on how the spread was eaten, but we can take a wild guess the age-old teaspoon in the jar technique still works in free fall.
The Artemis II crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10, just nine days after launching from Kennedy Space Center.
