Will Artemis II launch this week? Either way, you can taste Krispy Kreme’s moon mission donut if you act fast

The next few days could be a historic one for manned spaceflight. After a previous delay, it’s possible that NASA’s Artemis II manned lunar mission may finally blast off this week.

But no matter what, Krispy Kreme’s limited-edition doughnut commemorating the mission is a go. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Artemis II?

The Artemis II mission is a historic one for NASA. It is the second major phase of the five-stage Artemis Program, whose ultimate goal is to establish a permanent base on Earth’s moon, with future missions envisioned for Mars.

Artemis I launched in 2022 and sent the unmanned Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit around the moon. That mission was a prelude to Artemis II, which may launch this week.

Artemis II will be different than Artemis I, in that it will be a manned mission to the moon. However, its four astronauts will not be setting foot on the moon. Instead, they will remain in the orbiter as it circles the lunar body.

Yet while the four astronauts will not actually land on the moon, the crew of Artemis II will make history.

The Artemis II mission will be the first crewed mission to the moon—and the first to go beyond the range of low Earth orbit—in the 21st century. That last manned mission to the moon happened all the way back in 1972.

As CNN notes, the Artemis II mission also features the first woman to travel into deep space, Christina Koch; the first person of color to do so, Victor Glover; and the first non-U.S. citizen to do so, Canadian Jeremy Hansen.

The goal of the Artemis II mission is to act as the first test flight ahead of the Artemis IV mission in 2028, which will actually land astronauts on the moon.

Has the Artemis II mission been delayed?

The Artemis II mission was originally scheduled for launch in February, but a helium flow issue prevented that launch. As a result, the launch date was pushed back to April 2026.

Currently, NASA is aiming to launch Artemis II this week, but whether that launch goes ahead will depend on safety checks and weather conditions at Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

As of the time of this writing, NASA’s Artemis II website lists its current launch date as “No Earlier Than April 1, 2026.”

Yes, there’s an Artemis II Krispy Kreme doughnut

Whether or not the Artemis II launch actually goes ahead this week, fans of NASA, the mission, or just spaceflight in general, can celebrate the mission by picking up the limited-edition Artemis II Doughnut at participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide.

Krispy Kreme says the doughnut is “inspired by NASA’s iconic imagery” and is comprised of an Original Glazed doughnut with blue vanilla-flavored icing, black and white sprinkles, a buttercream dollop, and “a red chevron nod to the NASA logo.”

But if you want to take a bite into the Artemis II Doughnut, you’ll need to act fast.

It will only be available from tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, to Thursday, April 2. It is unknown if Krispy Kreme will reissue the Artemis II Doughnut if the launch is delayed beyond Thursday. Fast Company has reached out to Krispy Kreme for comment.