The best Lego Space sets

There’ve been many, many different Lego Space Shuttles over the years (one more appears on this list in fact), but none are as impressive as this stonking kit, made in partnership with NASA to show off the Discovery.

This Lego Space set is packed with realistic detail. It features tons of moving parts, from flaps to landing gear, to a robotic arm that can be used to deploy the Hubble Telescope. That’s a pretty awesome part of this Discovery build too – you get another mini kit included in the box.

The Lego Space Shuttle makes a great display piece, and you can set it up in multiple ways, allowing for a bit of personalization. You could place the build with the Hubble and Discovery separate, with the telescope stowed on board, or with the telescope in mid-deployment.

With eight modules with different functions that can be combined in different ways – or even joined up into a funky space train – plus a range of unique minifigures, the Modular Space Station is great for play, and definitely one of the highlights of Lego City’s 2024 jaunt into space.

The build looks familiar yet futuristic at the same time. That’s because it’s modeled off a rotating wheel space station, an idea that has been around for years as a way to create artificial gravity, has appeared in numerous movies and books, but has never been deployed in real life. This build would also make a great display piece, but you’d have to find a suitable stand.

It’s honestly astonishing how much detail this cheap Lego set manages to sneak into its 144 bricks. Like the rest of this range, the Creator Space Shuttle set is actually three builds in one. It’s basically three smaller versions of three existing Lego models – as you can see, there’s a version of the Discovery/Hubble set above, but then you can take it apart and make a lunar lander or a rocket.

What’s clear is how great this set is for play. It comes with a Lego minifigure that can have hair or a helmet on, and works with the other builds. And kids will have a blast making and playing with the different space-themed vehicles.

A lovely little display piece that doesn’t take up a ton of space, Tales of the Space Age is an artistic Space Lego set inspired by 1980s sci-fi posters and book covers. Using color, contrast, and negative space to great effect ,fan designer Jan Woźnica made this build to celebrate sci-fi.

There are lots of options for displaying this build – though they definitely look best all together, you could hang them from a wall or place them on a shelf, and they’ll look great in any order or position.

It’s a very quick build – which might be a pro or a con for you, depending on what kind of Lego Space kit you’re seeking. It’s probably a good thing in this case, since, if larger, the construction process would get quite dull and repetitive.

The newest Lego set appearing on this list, the Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit is an awesome Lego Technic set that breaks new ground for the line. With the moving, gear driven parts Technic is known for, the Lego company has produced a working orrery, with spinning, orbiting Earth and Moon that accurately portray the movements of these celestial bodies.

This is the Lego Space set that arguably does the most to teach you how space works, with labels that show the phases of the moon, and how the Earth’s tilt affects the seasons.