In five, four, three, two, one, Krispy Kreme is launching a limited-edition Artemis II Doughnut just in time to celebrate NASA’s “historic moment in space exploration.”
Ahead of the planned launch of Artemis II on April 1, the Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered chain announced the debut of the specialty doughnut, available March 31 through April 2 at participating Krispy Kreme shops nationwide.
“The dream of enjoying Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the Moon is about to take a giant leap forward, and we’re all about it!” according to the chain’s March 27 news release.
Pictured is Krispy Kreme’s limited-edition Artemis II Doughnut.
The Artemis II Doughnut is the brand’s Original Glazed doughnut with a “bold new look” inspired by the upcoming NASA mission. To create its new look, the doughnut is dipped in blue-vanilla-flavored icing, sprinkled with a mix of Oreo crunch and white nonpareils, and topped with a cookies-and-cream-flavored buttercream dollop and a red chevron nod to the NASA logo, according to Krispy Kreme.
“Big moments bring people together, and it doesn’t get much bigger than humans heading back into deep space,” Alison Holder, Krispy Kreme chief brand and product officer, said in a statement. “We took our iconic Original Glazed® doughnut and gave it a mission-worthy makeover so fans can celebrate Artemis II in a fun, delicious way, right alongside history.”
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How to buy Krispy Kreme’s Artemis II Doughnut
The Artemis II Doughnut can be purchased from March 31 to April 2 at participating Krispy Kreme shops across the country.
The limited-edition doughnut is also available as part of the Artemis II Specialty Dozen, which features six Artemis II Doughnuts and six Original Glazed doughnuts, “because every historic launch deserves a classic onboard,” the brand said.
Krispy Kreme also touted its “history of helping Americans celebrate humanity’s greatest achievements in space exploration and other space-related events,” recalling how the brand served fresh Original Glazed doughnuts at NASA’s Apollo 11 launch in 1969 and during the celebration of NASA’s Perseverance Rover landing on Mars in 2021. In 2022, the brand also commemorated NASA’s Artemis I Mission with the Artemis Moon Doughnut, in addition to offering doughnuts during numerous supermoons and total solar eclipses over the years.
It is unclear how much a single Artemis II Doughnut or the Artemis II Specialty Dozen will cost. USA TODAY contacted Krispy Kreme on March 28, but has not received a response.
When is the Artemis II launch?
The Artemis II launch will mark NASA’s first crewed mission aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
During the mission, four astronauts — three Americans and one Canadian — will spend about 10 days in deep space to confirm that all the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with the crew aboard. The test flight is intended to provide critical performance data and operational experience for future Artemis missions, including landing American astronauts back on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
The scheduled launch is expected to take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Krispy Kreme’s Artemis II Doughnut launching soon. See release date.
