An Artemis plushie, the cat from Sailor Moon, shows up in NASA's mission control

NASA launched the Artemis II mission on Wednesday, the first crewed flight to fly by the Moon in five decades. And in Houston's mission control there was an unexpected guest: a plushie of Artemis, the white cat from Sailor Moon, placed behind the capsule communicator's desk.

The nod doesn't end there. As reported by Dexerto, a staff member was also wearing a themed lanyard from the series featuring Usagi Tsukino, the protagonist. The coincidence between the name of the space program and the character created by Naoko Takeuchi did not go unnoticed by fans.

Artemis II is a ten-day mission with four astronauts on board: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hanson of the Canadian Space Agency. Although the program takes its name from the Greek goddess of the Moon, the feline from the franchise has become its unofficial mascot on social media.

Originally published on Anitsu by Mateo Henríquez. Text reviewed and fact-checked for DonOtaku on November 5, 2026; the original date is preserved.