That’s one giant heap of Lego bricks: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Lego Group is unveiling a 1,087-piece building set that recreates the mission’s Eagle lunar module.
The Lego Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander model, developed in cooperation with NASA, consists of an ascent stage with a detailed interior, plus a descent stage with a ladder and hatches that open.
Two astronaut minifigures are included in the kit, along with a depiction of the lunar surface complete with a crater, moon footprints and a U.S. flag.
In a news release, the company said the $99.99 set will be exclusively available at Lego stores and via the Lego Shop website beginning June 1.
The lunar lander set complements Lego’s 1,969-piece Saturn V rocket building kit, which was released in 2017. Lego also has produced a “Women of NASA” set of minifigures honoring four women pioneers of America’s space effort.
This isn’t the first lunar lander for Lego: A 457-piece version was released in 2003, and there was a 364-piece version released back in 1976 that looks like a Minecraft moon ship.
“We have been champions of the awe and wonder of space exploration through playful building for almost as long as the world’s celebration of the first moon landing,” said Michael McNally, senior director of brand relations for Lego Systems.
He noted that there have been “countless stories of engineers, scientists, astronauts and roboticists who point to their experiences with Lego building as the reason they are engaged in their current careers.”
“We hope that our ongoing commitment to space-themed play materials will inspire future generations to help us continue exploring,” McNally said.
Lego is also unveiling seven new Lego City Mars Exploration building sets, inspired by NASA’s planned missions to explore the moon and the Red Planet.
The sets provide the pieces for a miniature space shuttle, complete with satellite and wrench-wielding astronaut; a Mars rover with crane and accompanying equipment; a collection of 14 space-themed minifigures, including astronauts, a botanist and a personal trainer; a Mars research shuttle with mini-rover; a lunar habitat with three modular compartments and a shuttle; an 837-piece kit featuring NASA’s Space Launch System rocket; and a 1,055-piece kit for building a rocket assembly facility with transport crawler.
Prices for those building sets range from $9.99 (for the shuttle and satellite) to $149.99 (for the rocket assembly facility).
