— Nutella changed its social media profile pic on Tuesday (April 7), from pancakes drizzled with its sweetened hazelnut-cocoa spread to one of its jars floating in front of the moon.

The brand was not reacting to astronauts having flown by the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, but rather its own, unexpected part in it. In a now viral video clip from NASA's live mission coverage, a jar of Nutella tumbles through the cabin, above and behind the astronauts, as preparations are underway for the fly-by aboard their Orion spacecraft "Integrity."

"Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history. Taking spreading smiles to new heights," the Ferrero-owned dessert topping company posted.

A later update offered the chance to have your name appear on a custom jar in return for replying with the "one thing you'd bring into the cosmos." (Bread, on which to spread Nutella, seemed to be a popular answer.)

While it is unlikely that Nutella is now going to become what Tang powdered drinks was for the generation that grew up during NASA's Gemini program in the 1960s, it is not the only brand that has seen value in touting its inclusion on the Artemis II mission that flew humans farther into space than ever before.

Looking good for the camera(s)

Before Nutella made its cameo appearance, NASA shared a photo of Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, using an electric shaver as part of his regular post-sleep activities. Hansen is holding the oddly-shaped device in such a way you cannot make out its brand, but he is also clutching a small bag labeled "Forte Pro Blade."

A quick web search turned up Skull Shaver and its Pitbull line of men's shavers.

"Pitbull Shaver goes to the moon," reads the top banner on the New Jersey-based company's website. "Selected for use by the astronauts on the Artemis II mission."

Skull does not explain why or how their shaver was chosen, or even which of the models is in space, but its shavers' compact, hand-conforming form factor might have been a consideration.

Setting the shaver aside, the camera used to take Hansen's photo was made by Nikon, which has a long-standing contract with NASA to provide its imaging devices, but also used its online presence to promote its cameras' use on this flight to the moon.

"Nikon is supporting the Artemis II mission," Nikon's Corporate Branding Group wrote while linking to a news article about the company's D5 and Z9 models being aboard Integrity.

Speaking of cameras, GoPro is also on board the Orion spacecraft. Four of the company's action cameras were specially modified so they could be mounted on the tip of the capsule's four solar array wings. GoPro models are also being used by National Geographic, which is producing a documentary during the mission.

"We're over the moon about the Artemis II mission!" GoPro stated in a release. "GoPro was built for missions like this — small, ruggedized, adaptable cameras delivering reliable performance in the most extreme conditions imaginable."

Time, and time again

This is not the first time that brands have played a part in creating space history.

The Artemis II astronauts broke the distance record previously held by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. Integrity did it by plan; Apollo 13 did it survive an explosion.

On the way back to Earth, an Apollo 13 astronaut used his Omega Speedmaster chronograph to time a critical engine burn. It became a moment that — alongside being the first wristwatch worn on the moon's surface — forever cemented Omega's association with space exploration. So it should almost be expected that the Artemis II crew would be wearing Omega timepieces.

"We will have a NASA [issued] watch. It's the one that we've all flown with before on the International Space Station," Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, told collectSPACE almost a year before revealing that, indeed, she and her three crewmates had Omega Speedmaster X-33 analog/digital-hybrid watches. "We use it to set mission elapsed time."

Just in case it went unnoticed, the Swiss watchmaker subtly highlighted its return to the moon in a full page ad that ran in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend.

"As humanity aims for the moon once again, Omega is reminded of its own legacy in space," the advertisement reads. "Our Speedmaster Moonwatch has been worn by astronauts during every lunar landing in history, including the first steps in 1969. The next journey into space is carried by that same curiosity and original pioneering spirit."

Similarly, there is Fisher Space Pen. Used by NASA on every human spaceflight for the past five decades, the company's original AG7 model is also on Integrity.

"From the Shuttle-era to Artemis ... still the pen NASA trusts," Fisher promoted.

Fisher celebrated its presence on the mission by offering a special edition Artemis II pen that features an engraved trajectory inspired pattern.

A brand by any other name

NASA, as a federal agency, does its best not to highlight brands by name to avoid any appearance of endorsement. In NASA-speak, Coca Cola and Pepsi became "carbonated beverages" and M&M's were relabeled as "candy-coated chocolates" (though they kept the "M" on each candy piece).

NASA astronauts are trained to be careful.

"We also got iPhones recently," said Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, a few days before the mission's launch. He then stopped and smiled. "I don't think I can say that as a government employee."

"We have small, highly powerful computing devices with outstanding cameras."

Apple is well represented aboard Integrity. In addition to the iPhone 17 Pro Max phones, each astronaut also launched with an iPad, replacing the paper checklists and notebooks that earlier astronauts used to keep track of their activities.

So far, Apple has been silent about its place in space.

Of course, sometimes there is no other way to describe what you are looking for then to name the brand, as was the case for Koch when she called down for help from Mission Control.

"I'm looking for a specific community hygiene item," said Koch, trying to find it on Integrity. "It is just hand lotion and I believe the believe the brand is Honest. I thought we had some on board but just haven't come across it yet and I don't think our packing plan has that level of granularity."

Honest replied on social media ("Christina, we've got you stocked the second you land!") but it was the reaction by the company's founder that made it go viral.

"That is wild," said actress Jessica Alba. "To think that I had this idea of wanting people just to have safer, better products ... and now it's in space? What? This is a moment I never thought would be my real life."

Back to the photo of Hansen with the shaver, it also captured a jar above his head. No, not the Honest hand lotion, nor was it Nutella. A jar of Jif peanut butter.

It does not appear that J.M. Smucker Company is aware that Jif flew to the moon. Or maybe its just something the company is used to by now. Jif has been a staple on board the International Space Station for years. (As has Nutella.)

But there are still a couple of days before Artemis II splashes down, which is more than enough time for a brand (or two) to leave their mark from the moon.

collectSPACE is grateful to Intuitive Machines for supporting our Artemis II mission coverage. Intuitive Machines successfully soft-landed its Nova-C class lunar lander on the moon, returning the United States to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. In 2025, Intuitive Machines returned to the lunar south pole with a second lander. The company is focused on delivery services, data transmission services and infrastructure as a service.