Hubble Up Close: LEGO Has Recreated the Legendary Telescope on a Minifigure Scale

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For 35 years now, the Hubble Space Telescope has been exploring the far reaches of the universe. Now, LEGO invites fans of building sets to take a closer look at the details of this new tabletop version of the space station.

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The new LEGO Icons Hubble Space Telescope set, item number 11382, went on sale on August 1 for $140 at brand-name retail locations and on the toy manufacturer’s official website. The 1,252-piece set allows you to build a tabletop model measuring 0.38 m in length, which is roughly twice the size of previous LEGO Hubble sets. The Icons version is the first to be scaled to match a LEGO minifigure, allowing the included astronaut figure to serve as a visual reference for the model’s scale.

Among the three previous Hubble releases, two were designed to match the dimensions of the accompanying space shuttles: the LEGO Discovery Space Shuttle – STS-31 (set number 7470) in 2003 and the LEGO Icons NASA Space Shuttle Discovery (set number 10283) in 2021. The third was a tabletop version featuring the minifigure of astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, known as the “mother of Hubble,” which was included in the Women of NASA set, number 21312, in 2017.

The actual Hubble spacecraft was launched into space aboard the Discovery shuttle and deployed by the STS-31 mission crew in 1990. It is 13.2 m long, which corresponds to a scale of approximately 1:35 for the new LEGO tabletop version. The standard scale ratio for LEGO minifigures typically ranges from 1:35 to 1:45, since the figures themselves do not have anatomically accurate proportions.

According to the set’s instructions, in addition to accurately recreating the external contours and structural elements of the Hubble Space Telescope, this new LEGO Icons version is the first to include the internal components and scientific equipment that enable the observatory to function in Earth orbit.

In the introduction, the designers note that thanks to close collaboration with partners at NASA and ESA, they were able to faithfully recreate the engineering details both inside and out. Each section of the set corresponds to real instruments that have helped make groundbreaking discoveries in the universe. The observatory’s upper aperture cover opens, allowing you to view the secondary mirror assembly inside. Two removable sections on the top and bottom of the Hubble’s housing provide access to the mirrors and the central sunshield, which directs light from stars and galaxies toward the instruments and the primary mirror.

Over the course of its long operational history, researchers have visited Hubble five times: initially to correct an optical defect, and later to upgrade its systems. The design of this LEGO model reflects Hubble’s current configuration following the completion of its fifth servicing mission in 2009.

The set includes a replica of the space telescope’s STIS spectrograph, the COS ultraviolet spectrograph, the upgraded ACS survey camera, as well as the near-infrared camera and the NICMOS multi-object spectrometer, all of which continue to operate on the actual satellite today. Additional details include 3 gyroscopes, 5 precision pointing sensors, as well as external communication antennas and 2 solar array wings. The instructions note that Hubble’s solar panels were replaced twice, and the most recently installed version was chosen for this model.

The set includes a display stand for the Hubble model. It features a plaque with a sticker listing facts about the observatory, including the dates of the five Space Shuttle servicing missions. The display stand also features three transparent panels with printed images of the telescope’s most famous photos: the Eagle Nebula (“Pillars of Creation”), the Whirlpool Galaxy, and the Butterfly Nebula.

In the introduction to the instructions, the designers noted that the amazing images and data from the Hubble Space Telescope have brought the most distant corners of the cosmos closer to Earth. Humanity is only beginning to realize its historical significance, and the telescope itself continues to inspire scientists and captivate the public’s imagination, so the creators sought to honor this legacy.

Hidden detail: The astronaut minifigure is dressed as if wearing the EMU spacesuit used during spacewalks, which was employed during repair operations. It bears no NASA insignia or mission emblems, but the back of the PLSS life support backpack features a commemorative NASA logo celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope’s first 35 years of operation.

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