The Pizza Chain That Made The First-Ever Delivery To Space

The idea of a cosmic pizza delivery probably conjures visions partly influenced by your own pizza delivery experience and partly influenced by any number of space movies. But in case you were imagining an astronaut wearing a Domino's hat or a beat-up pizza delivery car floating aimlessly through the stars, the truth is a little less fanciful. Back in 2001, the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos was tasked with resupplying the International Space Station (ISS). That's an expedition made frequently by multiple international space agencies, but this particular mission was hardly routine. This time around, the cosmonauts were making a Pizza Hut delivery.

The high-tech delivery started the previous summer when Pizza Hut branding appeared on Russia's proton rocket. Not only was this the world's largest proton rocket, but it was also the first time a company put its logo on such a rocket. The rocket was launched from Russia's spaceport Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The U.S.-based pizza chain was undergoing a rebranding, abandoning its checkered tablecloths and stained glass lighting fixtures for a more modern look — and space travel was just about as modern as it gets. So Roscosmos and the Hut partnered for a 30-foot logo on a rocket and a critical pizza delivery mission.

Those who have tried astronaut ice cream and similar novelties at their local science museum may have a certain idea of an extraplanetary pizza in their head. But although it wasn't exactly hot and fresh out of the oven, it also wasn't freeze-dried in a vacuum-sealed bag. The Russian resupply team spent several months creating the recipe in the Baikonur Cosmodrome kitchen to ensure that it could withstand space travel, and the resulting product was indeed cheesy with a crispy thin crust and red sauce. Initially, the plan was to deliver a pepperoni pizza, but the pepperoni failed the team's 60-day course of testing. So instead, the astronauts on the ISS received a 6-inch salami pizza. The pizza research and development team also added more salt and seasonings than what you would find on a terrestrial pie because taste buds aren't as effective out in the cosmos.

In March 2001, after almost a year of the Pizza Hut-Roscosmos alliance, the vacuum-sealed pizza was delivered. ISS Commander Yuri Usachov and his crew put the pie in their oven and enjoyed it on-camera (after all, this was a marketing campaign). All in all, between the delivery and the logo-adorned rocket, the venture cost Pizza Hut around $1 million. As far as outer space meals go, this one rivaled even the first meal on the moon.

Pizza Hut's stunt was the first time astronauts enjoyed slices in space, but commercial products had already made appearances out in the exosphere. In 1985, both Coke and Pepsi snagged a seat aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Challenger during the STS 51-F mission. The crew was testing the function of Spacelab instruments in orbit, but they were also testing a new soda can. The year before, Coke had the idea to create a soda can that could be used in zero gravity, allowing astronauts to enjoy carbonated drinks in space and not just from their special zero gravity space cups; after all, developing foods that are fit for a vacuum is complicated (even hot dogs couldn't easily be shipped to space). And Pepsi wanted in on the experiment, too. Neither soda can worked very well, though, so the beverages stayed Earthbound — at least for a little while.

About a decade later, Pepsi was once again shooting for the stars. The company partnered with Roscosmos to film a commercial during a spacewalk from the Mir space station. Two cosmonauts carried a Pepsi can replica, which was just over 4 feet tall, to show off the new can design. The advertising campaign surpassed even the seven-figure price of Pizza Hut's interstellar marketing ploy, reportedly costing the beverage company a cool $5 million (although that figure was never officially confirmed).