As a keepsake of the Hera mission ESA commissioned the building of a detailed model made with LEGO® bricks – as well as smaller variants that you can go ahead and build for yourself!

Together with Frans Snik, an astronomer at Leiden University in the Netherlands who has the hobby of designing detailed models of astronomical observatories such as the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and Extremely Large Telescope, the Science Office developed  a roughly 1:11 scale model of Hera, plus the twin CubeSats the spacecraft is carrying to the Dimorphos asteroid, using 4448 bricks in all.

The model was debuted in public during last October’s ESA Open Day 2024, at ESTEC in the Netherlands, just in advance of Hera’s actual launch.

Based on the multi-part animation series The Incredible Adventures of the Hera Mission, Frans also made brick versions of the three cartoon spacecraft (including Hera’s dinosaur mascot), plus the twin asteroids that they are on the way to visiting: the larger Didymos and the smaller Dimorphos.

Want to build it? Download the assembly instructions here and the list of bricks needed here. As a finishing touch, add these solar panel stickers and mission logo.

DISCLAIMER: LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse this project.