Fresh-Baked Cookies Will Add an Aroma of Home to the International Space Station

A sweet, sweet orbital milestone will soon be on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). DoubleTree by Hilton, a hotel chain that is known for its warm chocolate chip cookies, promises that the first space-baked cookies will be produced in the orbiting laboratory in the near future.

The journey will begin when a batch of "specially prepared" cookie dough will be launched to the ISS, DoubeTree said in a statement, although it did not specify which spacecraft would launch it or when.

"Just as Hilton has been a pioneer of hospitality for the past 100 years, this partnership and the use of the DoubleTree Cookie – our ultimate symbol of hospitality – will propel the future of space travel and inspire the next generation of travelers," DoubleTree said in the statement.

A prototype space oven built by NanoRacks and Zero G Kitchen will allow astronauts at the International Space Station to bake cookies in orbit for the first time in history. (Image credit: Zero G Kitchen/DoubleTree by Hilton)

The cookies will be baked inside a prototype space oven built by NanoRacks, a private company that offers research facilities on the U.S. National Lab on the ISS. The oven will come from Zero G Kitchen, which bills itself as "a platform for food development in space."

Zero G and NanoRacks announced the forthcoming launch of the space oven in November 2018, billing it as an appliance to "freshly prepare small food items, such as rolls, cookies, patties, pockets and other basic foods, for longer duration space travel."

No word yet about whether the astronauts will get to eat their fresh, space-baked cookies. In past years, space station crews have tasted plants grown on the ISS and even espresso brewed in orbit. But even if the astronauts can't partake of the sweet treat, you can have a space-like cookie in the near future.

"To celebrate the launch of the first food item to be baked fresh in space," DoubleTree said, "hotel guests and cookie lovers alike can stop by any DoubleTree by Hilton in the world on Aug. 4 for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day to enjoy a complimentary DoubleTree Cookie."

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace