The business of space travel is changing rapidly, but the latest building set to emerge from the LEGO Ideas crowdsourcing platform was inspired by a project that began as a collaborative effort toward the end of the Space Shuttle era.
Older builders ages 16 and up can assemble the LEGO Ideas International Space Station (ISS), an 864-piece replica of the station that’s been circling the Earth since 1998. The set is packed with authentic details, including eight adjustable, rotating solar panels and a poseable Canadarm2 mobile servicing system. The ISS also includes a buildable miniature version of a NASA Space Shuttle orbiter, three miniature cargo spacecraft, and two astronaut micro-figures. Additionally, the ISS building set comes with a display stand and a 148-page booklet with facts on the real ISS and the genesis of its LEGO counterpart. The set will be available at LEGO Stores beginning on Feb. 1.
An out-of-this-world building experience is coming! 🌙⭐️ The LEGO #InternationalSpaceStation is available February 1st! https://t.co/RyGRbMDqyR#LEGOISS pic.twitter.com/yeukPQGGpH
— LEGO® IDEAS (@LEGOIdeas) January 21, 2020
While the ISS launched in 1998, the first long-term residents boarded the station on Nov. 2, 2000. This year will mark 20 years of continuous human occupation of the low orbit craft.