Four astronauts will launch on a 10-day mission to the Moon next month and food security is an absolute necessity. To ensure the travellers can curb their cravings in microgravity, NASA has curated a special menu with 189 items for the Artemis II mission.
These items range from tortillas to sausages and cookies to cakes along with almost a dozen different beverages. The astronauts will also carry five different hot sauces, offering them the luxury of choosing spice level and enhance their culinary experience. In a statement, NASA said that the menu takes into consideration shelf life, food safety, nutritional value, crew preference, and compatibility with the Orion spacecraft’s mass, volume, and power requirements. Besides, the items must also be easy to prepare and produce minimal crumbs while remaining stable throughout the mission.
Curious what the Artemis II crew will be eating on their journey around the Moon and back to Earth? We’re here to satiate your appetite! 🍪🥙🍓
Learn more about how @NASA designs and prepares food systems for missions like Artemis II: https://t.co/TJiHWXkMgq pic.twitter.com/R7LDQsPxpQ
— NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) March 5, 2026
Complete Artemis II mission menu by NASA
Food Items
- Tortillas
- Wheat Flat Bread
- Vegetable Quiche
- Breakfast Sausage
- Couscous w/ Nuts
- Mango Salad
- Granola w/ Blueberries
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Barbecued Beef Brisket
- Broccoli au Gratin
- Spicy Green Beans
- Macaroni & Cheese
- Tropical Fruit Salad
- Butternut Squash Cauliflower
Beverages
- Coffee
- Green Tea
- Mango-Peach Smoothie
- Chocolate Breakfast Drink
- Vanilla Breakfast Drink
- Lemonade
- Apple Cider
- Pineapple Drink
- Cocoa
- Strawberry Breakfast Drink
Culinary Flavorings
- Maple Syrup
- Chocolate Spread
- Peanut Butter
- Hot Sauce (5 different varieties)
- Spicy Mustard
- Strawberry Jam
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Almond Butter
Treat for their sweet tooth
- Pudding
- Cookies
- Cobbler
- Candy-Coated Almonds
- Cake
- Chocolate
Dining in space
Meals in space aren’t as we consume them here on Earth. Having learnt from the experiences and feedback from astronauts over the last few decades, NASA prepares space food in different categories – rehydratable, thermostabilised, irradiated and natural form.
For rehydratable consumables (both foods and beverages), all you have you to do is add hot or cold water in specially designed containers. Thermostabilised food require warming them to destroy harmful microorganisms and they are consumed out of aluminium or bimetallic cans, plastic cups or pouches. Irradiated items are similar to thermostabilised food in that they’re ready to eat and require warming only prior to consumption.
Natural form items such as nuts, cookies and granola bars are also ready to eat and they are packaged in clear, flexible pouches that require no further preparation.
NASA’s Artemis II mission
The Artemis II mission is currently targeted for launch in April. It includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They will board the Orion spacecraft and test its life support systems apart from conducting several experiments in space.
NASA will roll out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, soon and conduct a wet dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch in the coming days.
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