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Krispy Kreme 'Artemis Moon Doughnut' to launch same day as NASA mission

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The moon really is made of cheese... cake, and smothered in Cookies n' Kreme icing, at least according to Krispy Kreme.

Krispy Kreme will offer a one-day-only Artemis Moon Doughnut to celebrate NASA's launch to the moon.
Krispy Kreme will offer a one-day-only Artemis Moon Doughnut to celebrate NASA's launch to the moon. (Image credit: Krispy Kreme)

Krispy Kreme is celebrating NASA's Artemis 1 launch with a new, limited edition doughnut inspired by the mission's destination.

Set to go on sale the same day that NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifts off with an Orion spacecraft to fly around the moon, Krispy Kreme's one-day-only "Artemis Moon Doughnut" is a Cheesecake Kreme-flavored filled doughnut dipped in "Cookies 'n Kreme" icing with a swirl of cookie pieces.

"The Artemis 1 mission is a proud moment, and we are in awe of the amazing Americans behind the world's most powerful rocket. So, we created these delicious doughnuts to enjoy while you watch the launch," Dave Skena, global chief brand officer for Krispy Kreme, said in a statement issued on Friday (Aug. 26). "The Orion spacecraft atop the rocket will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station, but our Artemis Moon Doughnut will be available only Monday, so start the countdown and don't miss it!"

Related: NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission: Live updates
More: NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission explained in photos

The Artemis 1 mission is scheduled to launch on Monday (Aug. 29), but if NASA has a delay, so may Krispy Kreme. The Artemis Moon Doughnut will be available on Monday at participating shops throughout the United States, unless the space agency announces a delay by Saturday.

"In that case, the doughnut will be scheduled to blast off in shops on the new mission date. Make sure you stay tuned to Krispy Kreme social channels for a Go/No-Go announcement!" the doughnut chain's press release read.

Krispy Kreme's one-day-only Artemis Moon Doughnut is in celebration of NASA's upcoming launch to the moon.

Krispy Kreme's one-day-only Artemis Moon Doughnut celebrates NASA's upcoming launch to the moon. (Image credit: NASA/Cory Huston / Krispy Kreme / collectSPACE.com)
Related stories:

— NASA's Artemis program of lunar exploration 

— Artemis 1: Going back to the moon 

— For Artemis moon missions, science will reign supreme

The Artemis 1 mission is NASA's first major step to returning astronauts to the moon 50 years after the last Apollo crew left the lunar surface. The agency's plans include landing the first woman and the first person of color while establishing a sustainable presence on the moon to enable humankind's next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.

The 42-day-long Artemis 1 mission will fly without a crew, but will test the Orion capsule in a lunar distant retrograde orbit, taking it farther into space than any human-rated spacecraft has reached before.

The Artemis Moon Doughnut is Krispy Kreme's latest celebratory treat for NASA missions. In 2019, the sweet-treat retailer introduced its "Original Filled" doughnut timed with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, the first moon landing. Two years later, Krispy Kreme offered a one-day-only "Mars Doughnut" to mark the landing of NASA's Perseverance rover on the Red Planet.

Krispy Kreme also has a history being present at the launch of missions to the moon. The company's doughnuts were sold at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for those who came out to witness the Apollo 11 astronauts lift off for the moon in 1969.

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Robert Z. Pearlman
Robert Z. Pearlman
collectSPACE.com Editor, Space.com Contributor

Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, an online publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018. He previously developed online content for the National Space Society and Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, helped establish the space tourism company Space Adventures and currently serves on the History Committee of the American Astronautical Society, the advisory committee for The Mars Generation and leadership board of For All Moonkind. In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History.