Earlier this year, the LEGO Education line announced a partnership with NASA and the planned Artemis 1 space mission. From this collaboration arose their STEM exploration series, LEGO Build to Launch. The series featured space program character minifigures explaining all the stuff that goes into a rocket launch and moon mission. There have also been recent rumors regarding its cast featuring in some upcoming LEGO City sets. The said space-themed City sets are supposed to arrive next year. Meanwhile, it is confirmed that two LEGO Build to Launch minifigs will be physically made and put into an actual space launch.
According to Brick Fanatics, LEGO Education’s “Build to Launch” series is sending two of its characters aboard the Orion spacecraft. Said characters have been rendered digitally for the STEM exploration series. But LEGO will make physical versions of Command Pilot Kate and Mission Specialist Kyle. They will be put into the Orion reusable spacecraft to be carried by NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). This mission, Artemis 1, will commence on February 2022. The Kate and Kyle minifigs will take the place of a manned crew in this test flight. LEGO Education President Esben Staerk notes that this event will culminate in the Build to Launch exploratory series.
The fact that these Build to Launch characters will be made into actual minifigs seemingly lends credit to earlier rumors. After all, why stop at two when all of this LEGO Education STEM series (animated) cast could follow suit? And maybe they might just show up in the aforementioned upcoming LEGO City space sets. Viewers of the “Build to Launch” series could dream. Anyway, here’s the first video in the exploratory series, so you know what Kate and Kyle look like.