Today, the LEGO Group and Guinness World Records have announced that Project Hail Mary, in collaboration with Sent Into Space, has set a new record after launching a LEGO® set to 34,988 metres above Earth. The LEGO® Icons Project Hail Mary set was sent into the stratosphere via a high-altitude balloon from the UK and successfully retrieved, completing the full launch-and-recovery required for the title.
SMALL BRICKS. BIG ALTITUDE.
PROJECT HAIL MARY AND SENT INTO SPACE SET NEW GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ TITLE FOR THE HIGHEST ALTITUDE LAUNCH AND RETRIEVAL OF A LEGO® SET
London – April 21, 2026: GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (GWR), the global authority on record-breaking achievements, are delighted to announce that Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary and Sent Into Space successfully set a new Guinness World Records title for the highest altitude launch and retrieval of a LEGO® set, reaching an impressive altitude of 34,988 metres (114,790 feet).
The record-breaking mission took place on a clear day on 20 March 2026 from Gwynedd County, United Kingdom, where the LEGO® Icons Project Hail Mary set – including Ryland Grace and Rocky minifigures – was launched into the stratosphere using a high-altitude balloon system engineered by Sent Into Space.
Following its ascent to nearly 35 kilometres above Earth, the payload returned to ground and was safely recovered in full, completing the launch-and-retrieval cycle required for the record. Sony Pictures Releasing UK, which distributed the film in the UK, worked with Sent Into Space to design the ideal shot of the unit.
This achievement demonstrates a unique blend of imagination, engineering precision and technical expertise.
Dr Chris Rose, Head of Projects at Sent Into Space said, “We’re incredibly proud to have collaborated with Sony Pictures UK and played our part in setting a brand-new world record for Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary. 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 Icons Project Hail Mary set in space will help inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and astronauts.”
Adam Millward, Managing Editor, Guinness World Records said ‘What better way to launch the latest space blockbuster than with a stratospheric record attempt? It was a master stroke to send the Project Hail Mary-themed LEGO set – complete with a Minifigure of the film’s main character Ryland Grace and his extraterrestrial buddy, Rocky – into Earth’s atmosphere. As entertaining as it was to watch, there’s also no doubting the engineering expertise that a feat like this entails so all hail the brainy folks at Sent into Space too!’
The directors and producers of Project Hail Mary, Academy Award® winning filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were presented with an official Guinness World Records certificate in Las Vegas, Nevada on 13 April 2026 and were told that Project Hail Mary is, ‘Officially Amazing!’
In Project Hail Mary, science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light year 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.
Directed by Academy Award® winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie), PROJECT HAIL MARY stars three-time Academy Award® nominee Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Barbie), Academy Award® nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest) and James Ortiz (The Woodsman). With a screenplay by Academy Award® nominee Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, The Martian) based on the novel by Andy Weir (The Martian, Artemis), the film is produced by Gosling along with Academy Award® nominee Amy Pascal (Little Women, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Lord and Miller, Aditya Sood (The Martian, Cocaine Bear) and Rachel O’Connor (Challengers, Spider-Man: Brand New Day), as well as Weir. Nikki Baida (Strays), Sara Esberg (Moonlight), Ken Kao (The Nice Guys), Lucy Kitada (Borderlands), Patricia Whitcher (Marvel’s The Avengers) and Goddard are executive producers. Ken Leung (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Milana Vayntrub (Werewolves Within), Lionel Boyce (‘The Bear’) and Priya Kansara (‘Bridgerton’) round out the cast.
Joining Lord and Miller behind the camera are Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune, The Batman), production designer Charles Wood (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Endgame), costume designers David Crossman and Glyn Dillon (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story), VFX Supervisors Paul Lambert and Mag Sarnowska, and film editor Joel Negron (Thor: Ragnarok, The Nice Guys). Academy Award® nominee Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Trial of the Chicago 7) is the film’s composer.
Project Hail Mary is in cinemas now.
The Project Hail Mary LEGO rocket is available here
