The LEGO Group Commemorates first moon landing with NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander building set; takes imspiration from NASA's Moon to Mars plans with new LEGO® CITY collection

-Company builds on 40 years of inspiring space enthusiasts and future explorers with new play materials; hints at playful activations scheduled around the world-

-Vast majority of parents in all corners of the world say their kids are interested in space exploration, according to survey-

May 30, 2019 – To mark the 50th anniversary of an historical event that captivated the world, the LEGO Group today announced LEGO® CREATOR™ Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander, a 1,087 piece building set developed in cooperation with NASA, to commemorate the Eagle lunar module which completed humanity’s first successful moon landing. The set will be exclusively available at LEGO Stores and shop.LEGO.com beginning June 1. Additionally, the company unveiled seven new LEGO CITY Mars Exploration sets inspired by NASA’s recently announced ambitions around the next frontier – to return to the Moon and ultimately send astronauts to Mars. LEGO Group will also host hands-on space-themed activations and programming around the world beginning in June.

It's a perfect time to build upon today’s childrens’ curiosity about space, according to a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of LEGO Group among parents regarding childrens’ interest in space exploration1. Among U.S. parents with a child ages five to 12, 75% say they have a child interested in space exploration. 79% of parents in the UK say they have a child interested in space exploration, and 93% of parents in China agree.

Historic Moment Commemorated in Exclusive LEGO Replica Model
The collectible LEGO CREATOR Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander model is rich with details true to the Eagle lunar lander, including separate ascent and descent stages. The descent stage features gold-colored landing pads and panels, opening camera and laser hatches and a ladder, while the ascent stage has a detailed interior. Builders can recreate the first steps on the moon with two astronaut minifigures featuring NASA decoration and golden helmets, plus a depiction of the lunar surface, complete with crater, moon footprints and a United States flag. A celebration of human accomplishment, the building set includes an Apollo 11 Lunar Lander nameplate for display purposes.

LEGO CITY Mars Exploration Sets Depict NASA’s Future Ambition
In addition to celebrating the history of space exploration, the LEGO Group aims to playfully engage the space explorers of tomorrow with seven new LEGO CITY Mars Exploration building sets inspired by NASA’s future missions to explore the Moon and Mars.

To ensure that the sets reflect many technical details of the rockets, rovers and equipment that NASA may someday use to send humans to Mars, LEGO designers met frequently with the space agency during development. During visits to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, designers adjusted product design to more closely mirror real-world counterparts. For example, learning about the importance of protecting against contamination to increase mission success prompted designers to add face masks for the engineer minifigures. The team also redesigned white LEGO rockets to a burnt orange color based on the actual materials NASA intends to use; in the past, rockets may have been left white for aesthetic reasons, but the extra coat of paint adds weight. The collection will be available globally on June 1 and in North America beginning June 23, including:

60224 Satellite Service Mission – build a shuttle with opening minifigure cockpit, plus a satellite with opening solar panels
60225 Rover Testing Drive – explore the Mars Rover and accompanying equipment including laptop, video camera, remote control and rock drill
60230 People Pack - Space Research and Development – celebrate all the professions that make space exploration possible with 14 minifigures including astronauts, a botanist, a personal trainer, a drone engineer and more
60226 Mars Research Shuttle – blast to Mars and recover geodes, load them into a storage drone and send to the shuttle’s cargo bay
60227 Lunar Space Station – features three detachable, modular compartments that recreate life at a space station with kitchen, living area and research lab
60228 Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control – send astronauts via monorail to the multi-stage Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and prepare for launch by adding a mobile device and companion LEGO CITY Explorers app to simulate an interactive control panel
60229 Rocket Assembly & Transport – prepare a rocket for launch with this assembly frame building with crane, transport crawler, multi-stage rocket and rover lab
Hands-On LEGO Space Activations
LEGO Stores around the world are planning activities to engage families in creative play designed to inspire their awareness and interest in space exploration. In North America, LEGO Stores will host Build & Play spaceship games from June 3-30. From July 1-30, LEGO Stores will host weekly Build & Display prompts related to Mars exploration. In London, Berlin and Paris, larger scale events are planned July 23-26. For more information, visit www.LEGO.com/stores.

40 Years of LEGO Space Building
LEGO Space play launched 40 years ago with the debut of the first LEGO Space playtheme – one of the first play worlds to be brought to life in LEGO form. Nineteen different LEGO Space subthemes have been developed, ranging from realistic depictions of space missions to alien adventures. LEGO Group has produced more than 20 space shuttles, the smallest of which came in a LEGO Advent calendar from 2001 and contained 10 pieces. Iconic LEGO Space minifigures were honored with the inclusion of Benny the Spaceman, a fan favorite, in “The LEGO Movie” and “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.”

The company knows children of all ages love to explore a passion for space exploration through building, producing building sets that have been among their recent top sellers among older audiences. Fans can explore the professions of groundbreaking women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with LEGO Ideas Women of NASA. Budding astronauts can display and role-play with the majestic three-foot high LEGO brick replica model of the NASA Apollo Saturn V, which powered the Apollo missions. The LEGO Creator Shuttle Transporter offers a 3-in-1 building opportunity.