LEGO bricks made from 4.5 billion-year-old space dust to go on display in stores

European Space Agency scientists have created LEGO-like bricks from 4.5 billion-year-old space dust to help design astronaut shelters on the Moon – and they’re now going on display in stores.

As part of the Artemis program, ESA engineers and scientists are currently testing different materials to see whether they’re viable for creating shelters and landing pads on the Moon. And while the space material found on the Moon – known as regolith – is in short supply on Earth, they’ve found a suitable alternative for smaller-scale testing in a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite discovered in North Africa in 2000.

To determine whether regolith will be suitable for building structures on the Moon’s surface, the research team ground up the meteorite into dust and mixed it with small amounts of polylactide and regolith simulant. They then 3D-printed small building blocks, not unlike LEGO bricks, to try out various building techniques for Moon structures.

“Our teams are working towards the future of space travel and take inspiration from not just what’s above us, but also what we can find on Earth,” said ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley. “No-one has ever built a structure on the moon, so we have to work out not only how we build them but what we build them out of as we can’t take any materials with us.

“My team and I love creative construction and had the idea to explore whether space dust could be formed into a brick similar to a LEGO brick so we could test different building techniques. The result is amazing and whilst the bricks may look a little rougher than usual, importantly the clutch power still works, enabling us to play and test our designs.”

The LEGO Group is going all-in on space as a concept in 2024, and has just launched its own Artemis-inspired set in 10341 NASA Artemis Space Launch System. According to a recent study cited by LEGO Group Creative Lead Daniel Meehan, 87% of Gen Alpha kids are interested in discovering new planets, stars and galaxies.

“With the ESA team using the LEGO System-in-Play to advance space travel, it shows kids the sky really is the limit when it comes to LEGO brick building and we hope it encourages children to have a go at building their own space shelters!” Meehan added.

A total of 15 ESA Space Bricks will go on display at LEGO Stores around the world from June 24 to September 20. Check out the full list of participating stores in the table below.

Country	LEGO Store
UK	Leicester Square, London
USA	Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota
USA	Disney Springs, Florida
USA	Water Tower Place, Chicago
USA	Disneyland Resort, California
USA	5th Avenue, New York
Canada	West Edmonton
Germany	München Zentrum
Germany	Cologne
Denmark	Copenhagen
Denmark	LEGO House, Billund
France	Paris
Spain	Barcelona
Netherlands	Amsterdam
Australia	Pitt Street Mall, Sydney

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