GoKawiilNASA is adamant: the Nutella jar that floated past the camera during the Artemis II broadcast was not product placement. But for Nutella, it didn’t matter. The viral moment was out of this world.
The jar drifted into view roughly four minutes before the crew broke Apollo 13’s 1970 distance record during the live broadcast. Social media exploded. NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens quickly clarified: “NASA does not select crew meals or food in association with brand partnerships.”
Nutella just hit a world record flying as far away from Earth as nobody else did before 👩🏼🚀🌓 pic.twitter.com/046pkMYezH — Tobi Mülhauser 🍕 (@iamtobi) April 6, 2026
Nutella’s marketing team leaned into the moment with a playful response on X: “Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history.”
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
The spread was simply part of the astronauts’ approved food supply, carried aboard like mac and cheese and scrambled eggs, but it became the most talked-about brand moment of the mission.