Did you know that the very first Lego space set was released way back in 1964. Since then, we’ve seen hundreds of intergalactic brick-built models, aimed at children and adults alike. But which sets are the best Lego space sets? Hopefully we can help you sort the greatness from the space-debris.
That very first Lego set was a simple rocket made of three colors (opens in new tab) – and it cost just 98 cents. A fraction of what a Lego set will cost you in 2022. But Lego has come a long way in those 58 years. With an official partnership with NASA, Lego sets are more realistic than ever, allowing us to recreate the Discovery shuttle, Apollo Saturn V and Apollo 11 Lunar Lander – amongst others – in our own homes.
Lego’s space theme is undoubtedly one of its most popular, then, with sets being made to suit any age group. While there’s no longer a dedicated Space theme, Lego City sets frequently go to the moon and beyond, and space-faring sets litter the ‘designed for adults’ section of Lego’s website. Heck, even Mickey and Minnie Mouse have their own Lego rocket.
Sadly you can’t pick up a set for less than a dollar anymore, but sets do vary in price starting from $20 and under, going all the way up to $200+. You can find the cheapest prices on sets over on our Lego space deals page.
But before you hunt for a deal, you need to know which Lego space sets are the best. We’ve separated this guide into three simple sections: space sets for adults, which tend to be realistic, NASA-licensed models, children’s space sets, and Lego space sets based on Marvel or DC.
Would you rather your Lego space set be a little less realistic and a little more sci-fi? Check out our list of the best Lego Star Wars sets instead.
Best Lego space sets for adults
If you’re a space fan, then there’s no denying that this Lego NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the best Lego space sets you can get your hands on right now. It’s an authentic recreation of NASA’s real Discovery shuttle, featuring realistic elements such as an opening payload bay, retractable landing gear, and five seats for the crew.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to use your imagination there since this set doesn’t come with minifigures, but it’s a small price to pay for something that’s otherwise so detailed. As an added bonus, it also includes a model of the Hubble Telescope, which can be stowed away inside the shuttle’s payload bay.
The Lego NASA Apollo Saturn V is an interesting set. It was first released in 2017 as part of the Lego Ideas range, but after being discontinued at the end of 2019, it was brought back in 2020 – the exact same product, but just with a different model number. Clearly, it was so popular that Lego decided it was worth keeping on the shelves much longer than a set’s usual shelf life. And it’s not hard to see why. This replica of Apollo Saturn V is incredibly detailed, and epic in scale – if you stand it upright, it’s a meter tall!
For space fans, too, there’s an awful lot of realistic detail thrown in, such as fuel tanks, rocket fins, and engines – and there’s even a teeny-tiny microfigure included to give you some sense of the scale of this thing. Inevitably, the build is a little repetitive, but for something so magnificent, it’s worth it.
For any space fan, this replica Apollo 11 Lunar Lander is instantly recognizable. Lego has spared almost no detail in bringing it to life, looking as close to the real thing as a set of plastic bricks could possibly allow. The result is a wonderful display piece, capturing the moment that humans stepped on the moon back in 1969 brilliantly. The lander itself is expertly crafted, although the intricacy of the model means there are a few fiddly parts. It’s also a little disappointing that some of the decorations – like the golden paneling along the sides of the Lunar Lander – are stickers rather than printed bricks.
It’s not quite enough to stop this being one of the best Lego space sets out there, though. We particularly love the included display base, designed to replicate the surface of the moon – even complete with little minifigure footprints!
When Lego first announced the International Space Station (ISS) – a fan-designed model from the Lego Ideas range – we were a little concerned. Why? Well, it seemed that all of those solar panels could be stickers, rather than printed bricks. Nobody likes stickers on a Lego model, especially not that many. Thankfully, Lego delivered more than we hoped for, and there isn’t a single sticker to be seen on this model.
What is to be seen, though, is a glorious replica of the ISS, squeezing in more details than we could have imagined. Real-life features, such as the Integrated Truss Structure, habitation modules, and logistics carriers have been faithfully recreated. And there are even tiny versions of the NASA Space Shuttle, SpaceX Dragon, and Boeing CST-100 Starliner to give the International Space Station a sense of scale. Putting the solar panels together is repetitive though, and by their very nature they’re a little flimsy and easily knocked out of place. But when it’s all built, this is a very impressive model.
Best Lego space sets for kids
This set, along with the three to follow, is brand new and so we haven’t had a chance to get hands-on with it yet. It’s a replacement to Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control (60228) (opens in new tab) which recently retired – except it’s bigger and more expensive. A little too expensive in fact: $150/£125 for a playset feels like a lot of money.
Still, you do get a lot included for that price, including a realistic rocket inspired by Artemis, NASA’s return to the moon. There’s also a nice selection of minifigures: six in total, including astronauts, scientists, and workmen. There’s basically everything here a kid needs to stage their own rocket launch.
Lego’s Lunar Research Base is another of its new sets, and so we’re yet to get our hands on it. We love the look of it though; there’s a lot going on, but the main focal point is that round Research Base with air-locking tunnels coming off of it. It’s based on an official NASA concept for its Artemis Base Camp, adding a bit of authenticity.
The suite of minifigures – everyone having their own specific role – really rounds off the set, too. Its price gives us pause however, as $120/£90 for a 786 piece playset just feels too expensive.
This Lunar Roving Vehicle, complete with its 12 wheels – count them! – is a fantastic-looking space toy. It’s another set based on an Artemis concept, this time for NASA’s Lunar Rover. It opens up at the back, providing space for a minifigure astronaut to sit, and there’s also room for one in the driver’s position.
Better yet, that large, round panel opens up, allowing the vehicle to attach to the Lunar Research Base, which we’ve written about above. Of course, it means you’ll need to shell out $120/£90 to make good use of that function, which is a little annoying.
Here’s the last of Lego’s newest space sets. This Lunar Space Station is based on NASA’s Artemis Lunar Gateway, which gives some educational value to its play. And indeed, there’s a lot to like here, including the realistic docking capsule, the science and botany labs, and the separate sleeping quarters. You can almost imagine it floating through space.
Our only concern is that it’s only $10/£5 cheaper than the ultra-realistic International Space Station model, and we know which one we’d rather have on our shelves. Still, this one is minifigure-scale, so for younger Lego space fans it has much more playability.
If you don’t have the budget to splash out on Lego’s $200/£160 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, this 3-in-1 Creator set is a great alternative and one of the best Lego space sets out there aimed at kids. Although it’s lacking the NASA branding and some of the finer realistic detail, it’s still very clear what it’s supposed to be. And it even features opening payload doors, with a satellite stowed away inside.
The other two models on offer in the set – a rocket and lunar lander – look very effective too, each of them essentially being a smaller version of one of Lego’s more expensive sets. You can’t build all three of them at once, though; you’ll need to buy three copies of the set if you want to do that.
Lego’s own Monkie Kid series, a range based on Chinese mythology, might not seem like the ideal choice to make space-themed Lego sets, but here we are. If you’re looking for a realistic Lego space set, this clearly isn’t it, but as far as kids’ playsets go, they don’t get much more funky and interesting-looking than this.
The rocket itself is rather huge – 16.5 inches (41 cm) tall, in fact, and has a lot of interesting internal details, perfect for roleplay. The cockpit and cabin windows lift off, providing access to the inside, where you’ll find five seats for the crew to sit. The finished build does feature quite a lot of stickers, however, which is slightly disappointing.
This Space Mining Mech certainly isn’t NASA-approved, but we think it’s one of the best Lego space sets out there for kids who love to have fun. It’s a budget set which can be built one of three ways. The primary build is a space-faring mech, complete with a rotary blade on one arm and a hand that can actually grab things with the other. He’s also got moving arms and legs, perfect for posing and having fun with.
The other two builds on offer, however, aren’t quite as good. There’s a two-legged robot, and a 4-legged cargo carrier, but if we’d not read the description on Lego’s website we’re not sure we’d have guessed what they were supposed to be.
We don’t think that Lego needs to make a space set that’s tailored towards girls, but there’s no denying that this is a lovely set. It’s NASA-branded, like the newest wave of Lego City sets, and while NASA doesn’t typically put pink edging on its shuttles, it’s still recognizable and packs in plenty of realistic detail. There’s a Canadarm, for instance, which comes out of opening payload doors.
Alongside the shuttle, there’s a ‘Space Academy’ building, along with a telescope and a multi-axis trainer. It makes for a great playset. The only real downside is that the shuttle itself is very similar to the Creator 3-in-1 Space Shuttle Adventure, so there’s little need to have both sets. We’d usually recommend that set, but if your little one loves the color pink, then Olivia’s Space Academy is a great choice for any child.
This Disney-branded space rocket is one for Lego’s youngest fans. This set falls into the company’s 4+ range, meaning it’s a basic build for small hands. Older Lego fans will undoubtedly find it a little too simple to keep them occupied – with only 88 pieces, you’ll likely have it together in a matter of minutes.
The rocket itself is particularly simple, made of large, molded shapes. But it hardly matters – this is a lovely-looking set for youngsters. And those Minnie and Mickey minifigures, donned in their space suits, are just wonderful.
Here’s another set from Lego’s Monkie Kid range. This isn’t your usual Lego space set, but it does capture the feeling of being on the moon rather well – despite being zany in design! What is particularly neat is the way it blends Chinese folklore (a theme the Monkie Kid range is built around) into sci-fi storytelling; it’s actually named after Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. She features here in minifigure form, along with her acquaintance, the Jade Rabbit. The also-included blue punk-rock cat is perhaps not based on folklore, but is very much appreciated all the same (just look at that mohawk).
The individual elements of Chang’e Moon Cake Factory are neat, particularly the bunny mech, with its huge domed window. It’s just a shame the set is made up of lots of small parts, rather than one larger model.
Best Marvel & DC space sets
We’ve now moved on to the realm of not-so-realistic space sets. And is there a better way to kick it off than the excellent Guardians’ Ship? It might not be NASA-approved, but this is still one of the best Lego space sets out there, in our opinion. It’s a fantastic recreation of the Benatar – the ship the Guardians of the Galaxy replaced the Milano with after it was damaged. The level of accuracy is fantastic, and it’s instantly recognizable to any Marvel fan.
Strangely, it doesn’t contain a Drax or Nebula minifigure, which is a bit disappointing for those hoping for a full Guardians set. We’re also not sure if it’s supposed to be a play set or a display piece, and we don’t think Lego can decide either. The included stand (which we love!) suggests the latter, but the fact it’s a 14+ set rather than 18+, and the play elements inside the ship, suggests the former. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but just something to keep in mind.
The Eternals’ spaceship might not be quite as recognizable as The Guardians’, but there’s no denying the triangular Domo is eye-catching. There’s a great design on the exterior, and opening it up will reveal a full interior complete with cockpit, weapons room, and laboratory. There’s a nice set of minifigures included, too: Makkari, Ikaris, Thena, Sersi, Druig, and Phastos… if those names mean anything to you.
We’re not so sure about the Deviant builds that come with the set, however. They look rather cool, but they’re undoubtedly adding quite a chunk to the asking price. We’d have preferred the focus to be solely on the ship.
We’re surprised by how large the Sanctuary II is, going by its price. For $40/£35, a wingspan of 14 in/36 cm is rather impressive, and so this makes for quite the formidable toy. There’s a nice selection of minifigures too: Iron Man, Thanos, and Captain Marvel. You can pop one of them inside the cockpit, and there’s another opening area at the rear of the ship to store cargo.
It’s just a shame that some of the details of the real thing are lacking, but that’s to be expected for the price. There’s also a lot of stickers here, and it’d have been nice to see more printed parts.
Yes, we are taking some liberties with the final entry on our best Lego space sets list. We’re well aware that the Batwing isn’t technically a spacecraft. But it’s close enough, and we’re fairly sure that Batman could go to space if he wanted to. (Fun fact: there’s a now-retired Bat-Space Shuttle (opens in new tab) from the Lego Batman Movie range, proving that Batman has, indeed, been to space.)
Technicalities aside, this is a fantastic-looking craft, and a wonderful replica of Batman’s 1989 Batwing. What we particularly love is that it comes with two display options: a buildable stand, for tabletop displaying, or a wall-mounted option. The only tiny nit-pick we can find is that the included Batman minifigure isn’t exclusive to the set (but The Joker and his Goon are).
