LEGO Education and NASA plan to launch minifigures around the Moon on Artemis I

LEGO and NASA made their announcement today, and sadly no, it is not a LEGO Space Launch System set, but it is something very cool!

Over the past few months, LEGO Education and NASA have partnered up for a STEAM YouTube series, called Build to Launch, detailing the agency’s Artemis program. The partly animated series follows astronauts from a fictional LEGO space program talking with their real-life counterparts at NASA.

Each episode ends with a new challenge for kids to create, design, and test creations to solve real-world problems. These challenges make for a great educational tool for those interested in going into a STEM-related field.

Last week LEGO Education teased a major announcement coming on November 8 related to this program. Many believed it was a new LEGO set, specifically hoping for an SLS model. Sadly that will not be happening, but the announcement does have to do with the rocket.

“Sending Kate and Kyle to space is an exciting culmination of the Build to Launch learning series and truly is a once in a lifetime real-world application for students,” said Esben Stærk, president of LEGO Education. “Kate and Kyle are not only familiar to those using SPIKE Prime, but as minifigures they are recognizable and relatable for many students around the world. Our hope is that including Kate and Kyle in this space mission will excite students about the possibilities of STEAM careers and engage them in their own learning journey.”

LEGO minifigures to hitch a ride on Artemis I

Instead, LEGO Education announced that the minifigure astronauts featured in the mini-series will ride on NASA’s Artemis I mission. This mission is scheduled to liftoff in early 2022 and will be the first launch of an SLS rocket. It will take an Orion capsule to the Moon, return it, and verify that the systems are ready to launch crew on Artemis II.

The earliest Artemis I will launch is in mid-February, but it will likely be pushed back to March. Artemis I’s SLS is currently fully stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building and will head out to LC-39B for a wet dress rehearsal in January.

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