M&M's Fly on Artemis II, Marking First Candy on a Lunar Flyby Mission

Context Artemis II launched on April 26, 2026, sending four astronauts on a 10‑day flight that looped around the moon and returned to Earth. This was the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA's food system team selects items based on shelf life, packaging weight, and how they behave in microgravity.

Key Facts Mission specialist Christina Koch offered Peanut M&M's to her crewmates after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Reid Wiseman, mission commander, recalled the moment during a CBS Mornings town hall on May 1, 2026. M&M's were chosen for spaceflight because they melt in the mouth, not in the hand or at high temperatures, a property noted by Mars, Inc. in a 1983 release. The candy had previously flown on shuttle missions starting in 1982 and on the International Space Station, but Artemis II marks its first appearance on a lunar‑bound crewed flight.

What It Means The inclusion of M&M's shows how NASA balances crew morale with practical constraints, using a low‑mass, stable snack that requires no refrigeration. It also reinforces the candy's longstanding link to U.S. human spaceflight, extending a legacy that began over four decades ago.

Watch for future Artemis missions to test additional confectionery items as part of ongoing food‑system research.