Bricks and spaceships: a ‘Project Hail Mary’ LEGO minifig has made it to space

Last month, childhood dreams around the world were made real – as a LEGO® minifigure depicting an astronaut actually flew into the galaxy. 

Firmly attached to a balloon-powered platform, this tiny plastic model of Ryan Gosling’s character in Amazon MGM Studios' film Project Hail Mary (2026) – as well as his spaceship and alien friend Rocky – floated their way up until 114,790 ft (34,988 m) above Gwynedd County, UK, on 20 March. That’s nearly a 22 mi (35 km)-long journey!

For over eight hours, the minifigure spun amongst the blackness of space, witnessing the blue curvature of the planet and its cotton-like clouds, before falling back down to the green grass back on Earth. Once on solid ground, the tiny toy was safely recovered – making this incredible trip the highest altitude launch and retrieval of a LEGO® set in Guinness World Records history.

The bricks’ brave ascent was organized by aerospace agency Sent Into Space, in partnership with LEGO and the minds behind Project Hail Mary (2026). And on 13 April, the visionary directors of the film – Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – were presented with an official Guinness World Records certificate in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA for their out-of-this-world work. 

“We’re incredibly proud to have partnered with Sony Pictures Releasing UK [the UK film distributor] and have played our part in setting a brand new world record,” said Dr Chris Rose, Head of Projects at Sent Into Space.

“Every one of our projects is an exciting undertaking, but getting the chance to incorporate a LEGO® build into the spacecraft development process made this one a whole heap of fun for the entire Sent Into Space team. 

“Congratulations to the film for accomplishing its ambitious mission, and we hope the visuals of the LEGO® Hail Mary in space will help inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and astronauts.”

Read more stories about record-breaking films in our dedicated Arts and Entertainment section!  

The record-breaking mission took place on a clear day on 20 March, and utilized the Project Hail Mary LEGO® Icons: Project Hail Mary set for their big takeoff – including the Ryland Grace minifigure and adorable alien Rocky toy. 

Specialists at Sent Into Space secured the set on to a bespoke plinth aboard a balloon-powered high-altitude platform, and monitored its ascent using onboard cameras and a GPS tracking system.

Throughout the ride, the minifigure’s plastic grin never faded, even as he safely spiraled back down to Earth – demonstrating that unique blend of imagination, engineering precision and technical expertise that defines the science-fiction experience of the film. 

In Project Hail Mary, science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

And in fact, this is the second Guinness World Records title accomplished by the talented teams at Project Hail Mary and Sent Into Space – as they also claimed a title for the highest altitude IMAX film trailer last week. 

After launching a custom IMAX® display unit into the stars, the screen played the film trailer for Project Hail Mary at a dizzying height of 101,896 ft (31,058 m) – ensuring that even extraterrestrials can see what’s in our local cinemas. 

So congratulations to everyone involved with these out-of-this-world adventures  – you are all Officially Amazing!