Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System review

Get out of here Space Shuttle and move over Apollo because there's a new Lego rocket set in town — the Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System.

Let's get some technical pedantry out of the way first. The rocket itself is called the Space Launch System (SLS), and it's the craft that will be used in NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission (and the subsequent Artemis 3 mission which will see astronauts once again land on the moon). So, technically this is a model of the SLS, but Artemis sounds cooler, doesn't it?

With a price tag of $259.99 / £219.99, this set is a decent amount more expensive than the aforementioned Lego Space Shuttle Discovery and now out-of-production Lego Saturn V rocket set, but it also has a lot more pieces so we can understand why.

Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System: $259.99 from Lego

This faithful 3,601-piece recreation of NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket comes with an Orion spacecraft and a mobile launch tower. The kit is a must-have for any Lego space fan or spaceflight enthusiast.

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Unlike previous Lego NASA sets which just consisted of the spacecraft itself, Lego has taken things to the next level with this set by including an entire mobile launch tower. As a result, the rocket itself is a lot smaller than the massive Saturn V set from a few years ago. However, the sacrifice in size here is well worth it, because this looks stunning. 

It's an easy addition to the upper echelons of our best Lego space sets list. There are a few minor hazard lights to be aware of, but nothing that will have you calling in a problem to Houston. Okay, let's suit up and get this thing built.

Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System: Build

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Building the Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System is split into three sections: the base platform, the launch tower, and the rocket itself. While the platform that it sits on might not seem like the most interesting build, it's actually surprisingly fun and probably the most varied section of the set.

There are loads of clever and varied techniques used to keep things fresh, and two of the platform's sides have exposed details to make it look a bit more interesting. The instruction book explains that these aren't present on the actual SLS launch pad, alongside a bunch of other fun facts that are scattered throughout the booklet. We really appreciated these little nuggets of information that cover the SLS itself, as well as the history of Lego space sets. What we did not appreciate was bag 10, which involved building the railings using 86 identical tiny pieces. Still, needs must, and admittedly it looks good.

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From there you'll move on to the launch tower, which makes up the lion's share of the build. While there are some cool techniques and clever uses of pieces here, there's no getting around that this section gets a bit repetitive, as the tower is fairly uniform the whole way up. There are some different connection points for the rocket that stick out and add some variety, but it's still a bit of a slog.

The tower is also not symmetrical, which means if you're like us you'll spend ages double checking that you did everything right because it looks funny. Don't worry, it's meant to look like that, and it's not Lego's fault that NASA built a wonky tower, but it was still stressful during the build.

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Once you're done with the tower, you'll notice that you only have 5 bags left to build the actual rocket with. It's an enjoyable process that, unsurprisingly, flies together rather quickly. The two rocket boosters are built on a central support that you skewer pieces onto like a Lego kebab. The central rocket is a bit more complex and it's super fun seeing the whole thing come together — that orange, black, and white color scheme of NASA's is a winner.

There are a ton of stickers to put on the rocket and boosters, and some of them are very hard to line up without nearby reference points (looking at you little black and white chequers). It's odd, because about half of the insignia and other designs are printed pieces, so we’re not sure why they didn't just make them all printed pieces? Perhaps they'd need to do twice as many because of the flipped orientation of the two boosters? Still, booooo stickers.

Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System: Design

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All those struggles are worth it though, because once you've got it all built, the Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System is a thing of beauty. We've built and owned most of the Lego space sets released over the last few years and this is easily the best looking display piece out of the lot. It manages to capture the sense of scale that comes with a 98 meter tall rocket that weighs 2,875 tons.

While we moaned about the stickers, they do add a lot of cool visual flair to the rocket and boosters, plus there are loads of other physical adornments too. We especially love the intricate pipes and cables that run up the tower. There are a fair few moving parts to enjoy as well, including the bridge that the astronauts cross to enter the Orion module, along with various clamps and refueling arms that run up the tower.

The exposed sides showcase some of the internal structure of the rocket platform, our particular favorite being the adorable tiny staircases made from ridged Lego pieces on a hinge. And, how can you not love the tiny elevator doors at the top of the tower?

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Sadly, there are no minifigures included with the SLS set, although this makes sense given that it's not built anywhere near the right scale. Those tiny little single piece mini astronauts that come with the Lego International Space Station would have been cool as they're almost the right size — though they'd have needed a new paint job to match the prototype suits that Axiom Space revealed last year.

Oh and the display plaque is a sticker, which … eh it's fine, but the printed ones just look so much nicer and you don't have to fight with perfectly aligning a sticker.

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Despite these minor complaints, we adore the Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System set and would highly recommend it to anyone … that has room to display it. There's no beating around the orbital bush here — it's a big kit, measuring in at 28 inches tall (71 cm). That's nowhere near the tallest Lego set out there, but it does mean it's not going to fit on many shelves or inside display cabinets. Make sure you've got an appropriate landing site for this magnificent beast before you order it, is all we’re saying.

Should you buy the Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System?

We can't think of a better looking space-themed Lego set and it's the perfect way to bring a little piece of NASA's next phase of spaceflight home with you. There are some sections that get a bit monotonous — namely the tower section — but it's still a fun build overall with a load of variety and some fun techniques and clever uses of unexpected pieces.

If you have a suitable display location for it, then we'd 100% recommend picking up the Lego NASA Artemis Space Launch System. It's a beautiful model, and the inclusion of the launch assembly means that it's unlike any other NASA set out there.

Other Lego Space sets to consider

Is the Artemis not your thing? Still not over the retirement of the Space Shuttle program? Fear not, you can relive the glory days with the Lego NASA Space Shuttle Discovery set. It's even a little cheaper than the SLS set, coming in at $199.99 / £169.99.

If you don't have the space (heh, get it) for any big Lego sets, there are a couple of interesting art pieces to look at too. The Lego Art The Milky Way Galaxy set is a mesmerizing piece of 3D wall art that comes complete with an adorable "you are here" marker. You can add this to your collection for $199 / £169.99.

Then there’s the Lego Ideas Tales of the Space Age set if you want something smaller that will fit on a shelf, showcase your love of the cosmos, and look rather stylish. It's also very reasonably priced at $49.99 / £44.99.