Project Hail Mary LEGO Minifigure Reaches Space, Sets World Record

In a unique moment that turned imagination into reality, a LEGO astronaut minifigure has successfully travelled to the edge of space, setting a new world record and capturing global attention, reported Guinness World Records.

A LEGO minifigure based on Ryan Gosling's character from the film Project Hail Mary was launched into the sky on 20 March. The model, along with a miniature spaceship and alien character Rocky, reached an altitude of 114,790 feet (34,988 metres) above Gwynedd County in the United Kingdom.

The journey, which covered nearly 35 kilometres, was carried out using a balloon-powered platform. The minifigure spent over eight hours in the upper atmosphere, where it captured views of the Earth's curved horizon and cloud formations before safely returning to the ground.

After landing, the LEGO set was successfully recovered, marking the highest altitude launch and retrieval of a LEGO set in Guinness World Records history.

Watch Video Here:

Highest altitude launch and retrieval of a @LEGO_Group
set: 34,988 m (114,790 ft) by @SonyPicturesUK and @SentInto_Space 🚀

The launch celebrated the launch of the movie @projecthailmary starring Ryan Gosling pic.twitter.com/ovaUI6uwGX

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) April 21, 2026

The mission was organised by Sent Into Space in collaboration with the LEGO Group and the creators of the film.

On 13 April, the film's directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were presented with an official Guinness World Records certificate in Las Vegas, Nevada, in recognition of the achievement.

Dr Chris Rose, Head of Projects at Sent Into Space, said the team was proud to have partnered with Sony Pictures Releasing UK and to have contributed to setting a new world record.

He explained that each project undertaken by the team is exciting, but incorporating a LEGO build into the spacecraft development process made this mission especially enjoyable. He also congratulated the film for achieving its ambitious goal and expressed hope that the visuals from the mission would inspire future scientists, engineers and astronauts.

The launch took place on a clear day, using the LEGO Icons: Project Hail Mary set, which included the Ryland Grace minifigure and the character Rocky.

Specialists at Sent Into Space secured the set onto a custom platform attached to a high-altitude balloon. The ascent was tracked using onboard cameras and a GPS system.

Throughout the mission, the minifigure remained intact as it travelled to space and safely returned to Earth, highlighting a combination of imagination, engineering precision and technical expertise inspired by the film.