Grocery Chain Launches a Chicken Nugget into Space

We have so many questions.

October 23, 2020
Follow Amy on:

Photo by: YouTube/Evening Standard

YouTube/Evening Standard

Not sure how most grocery stores celebrate their 50th anniversary (Coupons? Maybe balloons?), but the British supermarket chain Iceland marked its golden milestone in a super out-there way: It launched a chicken nugget into space. Yeah, seriously.

Working in collaboration with a stratospheric exploration group called Sent Into Space, the retailer, which specializes in frozen and prepared foods, rocketed the nugget to an altitude of 110,000 feet above the planet’s surface. (That’s the equivalent height of a stack of about 880,000 Iceland chicken nuggets, which are one of the chain’s most popular items, the Irish News notes.)

The humble nugget took off from a location not far from the chain’s headquarters in Deeside, North Wales and took two hours to reach its peak, where the temperature was minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit. It then hurtled back down toward Earth at a speed of 200 miles per hour before, at around 62,000 feet above ground, its parachute deployed, ensuring a safe, if a bit rumble-tumble, landing.

So … why send a chicken nugget into space? “2020 is a huge year for us as we celebrate our 50th birthday, and we wanted to find ways to mark the occasion, just like anyone celebrating a birthday in lockdown,” Andrew Staniland, the trading director at Iceland Foods, told the Irish News.

I mean, when you come right down to it, it’s no more unbelievable than the rest of 2020, really.

Related Content:

Next Up

It’s About Dang Time – KFC Launches Chicken Nuggets

The launch is being tested at select locations.

Boston Market Launches a New Kind of Chicken Nugget

Its signature rotisserie chicken is going bite-sized.

TikToker’s Empty Chicken Nuggets Go Viral

‘You got the wrong pack. Those are chickenless nuggets,’ wrote one commenter.

Taco Bell Tries Its Hand at Chicken Nuggets

A first of its kind for the fast food chain, the crunchy bites come with three sauces. Here’s what they taste like.

McDonald’s Enters the Spicy Chicken Nugget Games

After the return of Burger King and Wendy’s fiery versions, the fast food giant is introducing a twist on its classic for the first time since 1983.

Coca-Cola Launches New ‘Starlight’ Flavor, And It Tastes Like Space Candy

The new flavor is inspired by space. (Whatever that means.)

Taco Bell and Hidden Valley Are Teaming up on a ‘Fiery’ New Ranch

And the chain is bringing back Crispy Chicken Nuggets, too.

Taco Bell Is Bringing Back Its Fan-Favorite Crispy Chicken Nuggets

The odd-for-a-taco-place item will return on April 24.

On TV

6am | 5c
6:30am | 5:30c
7am | 6c
7:30am | 6:30c

The Pioneer Woman

8:30am | 7:30c

The Pioneer Woman

9:30am | 8:30c

The Pioneer Woman

10:30am | 9:30c
11am | 10c
11:30am | 10:30c

The Kitchen

12pm | 11c

The Kitchen

1pm | 12c
On Tonight
On Tonight

The Great Food Truck Race

9pm | 8c

Beat Bobby Flay

10:30pm | 9:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

11:30pm | 10:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

1:30am | 12:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

2:30am | 1:30c

What's New